First posted on Instagram
Hunter Biden, the son of former President Joe Biden, told the BBC's Newsnight programme, in an interview by Victoria Derbyshire broadcast around the November 3, 2026 midterm elections, that the midterms are a referendum on Donald Trump. He spoke about how Trump might respond to the outcome, about Trump's criticism of Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, and about his father's health.
Hunter pointed to his father's 2020 victory over Donald Trump and noted that his father was not on the 2024 ballot. For accuracy, the official figures were: Joe Biden won 81,283,501 votes to Donald Trump's 74,223,975 in 2020 — a margin of just over seven million votes, not eight million — and won the Electoral College 306 to 232.
As reported in the Instagram post, Hunter argued that Trump's political influence has become an almost "unstoppable force" in the public imagination, but insisted it can still be challenged and defeated. He argued that challenge can come through elections and civic engagement. The post also notes the other side of the argument: Trump supporters view his movement as a reflection of voters' priorities, while critics believe his political dominance can still be countered.
The November 3, 2026 midterms decide control of Congress for the rest of Trump's term, with all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats contested, and are widely seen as a referendum on Trump's second term. By way of brief background, Hunter Biden was convicted of three federal gun felonies in 2024 and later pleaded guilty to tax offences, and was pardoned by his father shortly before Joe Biden left office.