Why are Joe Biden’s children so controversial? Hunter and Ashley, the US president’s son and daughter, have been caught up in tax, drugs and partying scandals over the years

Jan 16 , 2024

Joe Biden’s children Hunter and Ashley are no strangers to controversy. Photos: Getty Images, AP

It’s not unusual to hear about politicians’ families being embroiled in controversy given the scrutiny they’re subject to, but in Hunter Biden’s case at least, much of the scandal is based in fact

Meanwhile, Ashley – Joe Biden’s only child with first lady Jill Biden – has been targeted in drug and stolen diary scandals in a bid to discredit her reputation in recent years

Hunter Biden isn’t the only one in his family to get caught up in controversy.

Joe Biden became president in January 2021 and since then his children Ashley and Hunter Biden have only come under more scrutiny. Photo: AP

President Joe Biden’s daughter Ashley has also been getting heat from America’s conservative media lately. According to lien documents retrieved by right-wing tabloid the New York Post in late December, Ashley Biden owes around US$5,000 in income taxes. The news, which was first reported by Fox, declared that the president’s daughter owes the money from 2015 and 2021.

“Ashley Biden has an estimated net worth of nearly US$2 million, and she can’t even find the time to pay US$5,000 of her Pennsylvania taxes. So therefore, the Commonwealth has a lien on her property, meaning PA is a priority creditor and must be paid before Ashley can make any substantial financial transaction,” Republican Congressman Dan Meuser told The Post.

Ashley Biden, 42, is the youngest child of Jill and Joe Biden, and has previously made tabloid headlines for stories about her partying days and the fact that one of her diaries was stolen and sold to a right-wing group in a bid to embarrass her.

Here’s what you need to know about the controversies around the current first children of the US.

Who are Ashley and Hunter Biden?

Ashley Biden with her parents, Jill and Joe Biden. Photo: @nasw/Twitter

Ashley, 42, and Hunter Biden, 53, are the two surviving children in Joe Biden’s life.