WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump said he “understands” how President Joe Biden feels dealing with a loved one who is struggling with addiction, as both men eschewed alcohol their entire lives because of their family links to substance abuse.
“I understand that whole subject, I understand it pretty well,” Trump said in a Thursday interview with Fox News. “I’ve had it with people having it in their family.”
“It’s a tough moment for their family. It’s a tough moment for any family involved in that,” Trump added.
Trump has previously claimed he has never imbibed alcohol, due to witnessing his older brother Fred’s lifelong battle with alcoholism, which ultimately led to his death at 42.
“I had a brother, Fred. Great guy, best-looking guy, best personality — much better than mine — but he had a problem,” Trump said in 2017 during a White House event aimed at addressing the opioid crisis. “He had a problem with alcohol. And he would tell me: ‘Don’t drink.’ And to this day, I’ve never had a drink. And I have no longing for it. I have no interest in it.”
On the other hand, while President Biden’s only surviving son, Hunter Biden, has a history of unrelenting abuse of alcohol and crack cocaine, the president — who rarely discusses his teetotalism — once joked about “not really being Irish” because he’s “never had a drink.” The president has also acknowledged in 2008 that there are “enough alcoholics in my family.”
Earlier this week in Delaware, Hunter Biden was found guilty on all three charges related to lying about his drug use while applying to purchase a gun in 2018. Hunter Biden had falsely checked a box claiming that he was not a user of, or addicted to, any controlled substance. The ruling marks the first time in U.S. history that the child of a sitting president has been convicted of a crime.
Following the verdict, President Biden told reporters that he was “extremely proud” of his son and accepted the outcome of the case.
“I’m extremely proud of my son Hunter. He has overcome an addiction. He’s one of the brightest, most decent men I know,” President Biden said Thursday at the G7 summit in Italy. “I am satisfied that I’m not going to do anything — I said I’d abide by the jury decision, and I will do that. And I will not pardon him.”
President Biden also reaffirmed he would not use his authority to issue a commutation for his son’s sentence.
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