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Joe Biden’s disastrous debate against Trump due to Ambien, son Hunter Biden says

Ambien is a medication for short-term sleep issues, and the former president’s debate struggles against Trump raised concerns about his 2024 candidacy

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Joe Biden looks down as he participates in the first presidential debate of the 2024 elections with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on June 27, 2024. Photo: TNS
Reuters
Former President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, said his father’s disastrous debate performance against President Donald Trump that led to the Democrat stepping aside as presidential candidate was the result of him taking Ambien due to his travel.
“And I’ll tell you what, I know exactly what happened in that debate. He [Joe Biden] flew around the world, basically the mileage he could have flown around the world three times. He’s 81 years old. He’s tired as s***,” the former president’s son said in an interview released on Monday with YouTube creator Andrew Callaghan.

“They give him Ambien to be able to sleep. He gets up on the stage, and he looks like he’s a deer in the headlights,” Hunter Biden added.

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Ambien is a medication used for short-term treatment of sleeping problems. Joe Biden’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment late on Monday.

The former president prepared at Camp David with his aides for several days for the debate. Before being at Camp David, the Democrat took two European trips and was on the US West Coast for a fundraiser.

Biden’s debate performance against Donald Trump, where he struggled to articulate his thoughts, sparked backlash against his 2024 candidacy. Photo: AP
Biden’s debate performance against Donald Trump, where he struggled to articulate his thoughts, sparked backlash against his 2024 candidacy. Photo: AP

The former president’s debate performance against then-Republican presidential candidate Trump, in which the Democrat regularly struggled to finish his thoughts, triggered a backlash against Biden’s candidacy for the 2024 elections.

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