Hunter Biden told The Shawn Ryan Show that while his father had performed well in some respects, the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was "an obvious 'f---ing' failure," citing the deaths of 13 service members and the chaotic evacuation. He said leaving Afghanistan was the right decision but criticized how it was executed. He also warned about lax immigration policies that he said strain resources and claimed a bipartisan border deal fell apart after threats from Donald Trump.
Hunter Biden Calls Afghanistan Withdrawal an "Obvious 'F---ing' Failure" in Candid Interview
Former President Joe Biden, left, and his son, Hunter Biden, stand side-by-side.
Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, offered a sharp and unusually candid critique of parts of his father's record in a new interview, faulting the administration's execution of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan and raising concerns about immigration policy.
Appearing on The Shawn Ryan Show, Hunter Biden said his father had done "exceedingly well" in some areas but acknowledged there were significant mistakes. He singled out the 2021 Afghanistan pullout as a major shortcoming.
Former President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden.
"I think one of the failures was the way in which they executed the withdrawal from Afghanistan. I think it was an obvious 'f---ing' failure," Biden told Ryan. "I think 13 Marines are dead. I think that there was a better way to do it."
Hunter Biden emphasized that, while he could "blame it on his generals," he recognized that "the buck stops with" the president. He also said he believed leaving Afghanistan was the right decision after 20 years of U.S. involvement, but argued the withdrawal's execution was deeply flawed.
Context and Consequences
Officials and reports have highlighted the chaotic nature of the 2021 exit: a 2022 Department of Defense report found Taliban forces captured more than $7 billion in equipment left behind by U.S. troops, and an ISIS-K suicide bombing at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport killed 13 U.S. service members during evacuation efforts.
President Donald Trump speaks to a gathering of top U.S. military commanders at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, in Quantico, Va.
On Immigration and Politics
Hunter Biden also criticized the administration's handling of immigration, calling for robust legal immigration while warning against large numbers of unauthorized entries that he said strain resources and could disadvantage veterans and others. The article notes estimates placing the unauthorized immigrant population in the U.S. near 14 million in 2023.
He further claimed the White House had reached a bipartisan agreement with congressional Republicans on a comprehensive border bill, but said the effort unraveled after former President Donald Trump threatened to primary any Republican who supported the measure ahead of the 2024 election.
A representative for President Joe Biden did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The interview adds an uncommon, blunt perspective from within the first family on two of the administration's most contested policy areas.
