Imagine watching a former president steer your father off a stage like a lost child, and the sting of public humiliation burns deep.
Hunter Biden’s raw frustration reportedly erupted when former President Barack Obama led President Joe Biden offstage at a Hollywood fundraiser during his presidential re-election campaign, an incident compounded by actor George Clooney’s public call for Biden to step aside from the campaign, as revealed in a forthcoming book by ABC News’s Jonathan Karl.
This drama unfolded at the Peacock Theater in Hollywood during a fundraising event for Joe Biden’s campaign.
After a chat with comedian Jimmy Kimmel, Obama took Biden’s hand, guiding him offstage as the crowd clapped, a moment that struck Hunter as deeply disrespectful.
“That really, really, really, really pissed me off,” Hunter told Jonathan Karl, a sentiment echoing a son’s protective rage over what he saw as a belittling gesture, Axios reported. Let’s be honest—while family loyalty is admirable, the optics of a sitting president being led like that do raise eyebrows about capability, a concern many conservatives quietly share.
Hunter also fumed that the moment “was going to be a meme,” a viral jab at his father’s dignity (Axios). It’s hard not to wince at the thought of social media turning a serious event into a punchline, though one wonders if the real issue isn’t the meme but the moment itself.
The fundraiser wasn’t the only thorn in Hunter’s side, as actor George Clooney soon added fuel to the fire with a scathing op-ed in The New York Times.
Clooney argued Biden showed signs of mental and physical decline, urging him to exit the race, a stance that hit Hunter like a personal betrayal.
“F‑‑‑ him. F‑‑‑ him. F‑‑‑ him and everybody around him,” Hunter blasted during an interview on Andrew Callaghan’s web series “Channel 5,” sparing no venom for Clooney’s critique. While Hunter’s anger is understandable as a son, conservatives might nod at Clooney’s point—shouldn’t leadership inspire confidence, not concern, regardless of who raises the alarm?
The backdrop to this family feud was Biden’s shaky performance in a debate against President Trump, which intensified pressure from within Democratic circles to reconsider his candidacy.
That debate sparked doubts among many, with Clooney’s op-ed reflecting a broader unease about Biden’s ability to lead effectively.
Yet, not everyone saw a problem, as former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre pushed back against the narrative of decline in her book “Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines.”
“I saw no such decline,” Jean-Pierre wrote, emphasizing her close daily interactions with Biden as part of his inner circle (Daily Mail). Her defense is noteworthy, though skeptics on the right might question if loyalty clouded objectivity—after all, public stumbles speak louder than insider assurances.
This clash of perspectives—Hunter’s fury, Clooney’s critique, and Jean-Pierre’s rebuttal—paints a picture of a Democratic Party wrestling with its own doubts while a protective son fights for his father’s honor.
For conservatives, this saga underscores a deeper issue: leadership must project strength, not vulnerability, and moments like the Hollywood exit or debate missteps fuel legitimate questions about fitness for office, even if asked imperfectly by Hollywood elites or former allies. While empathy for Hunter’s frustration is due, the broader concern remains—can a nation afford hesitation at the helm, no matter how personal the stakes?