Hunter Biden, the former first son convicted of federal weapons charges and pardoned by his own father, responded to a parody account's hypothetical 2028 presidential matchup by posting "LFG", internet shorthand for "let's f***ing go", on X, fueling speculation that he sees himself as a viable candidate for the nation's highest office.
The exchange, first reported by the Irish Star, began when a parody account called "Hunter Biden 2028" posted an image showing a fictional electoral map in which Biden and running mate Jon Ossoff crushed Vice President JD Vance and a theoretical running mate, Elise Stefanik. The fantasy numbers were not subtle: 438 electoral votes and over 91 million popular votes for Biden, against just 100 electoral votes and roughly 77 million for Vance.
"Are you ready patriots?" the parody account asked. Hunter Biden apparently was.
The notion that Hunter Biden might seek the presidency would be comic relief in most political eras. In this one, it is worth examining, not because he has a realistic path, but because of what his candidacy would represent about the state of the Democratic Party and the standards it applies to its own.
Start with the record. In 2024, a jury found Hunter Biden guilty of criminal counts related to his acquisition of a firearm. The conviction stemmed from conduct tied to the period of his well-documented crack cocaine addiction, which he discussed in his memoir, "Beautiful Things." Before leaving office, his father, former President Joe Biden, pardoned him for any crimes he "committed or may have committed" between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024.
That pardon covered a full decade of potential criminal exposure, an extraordinary act by a sitting president on behalf of his own son.
Hunter Biden has since celebrated seven years of sobriety, a personal milestone that deserves acknowledgment on its own terms. But sobriety does not erase a criminal conviction. And a presidential pardon does not equal exoneration. It means the consequences were lifted by the one person on earth with the power to do so, who also happened to share the defendant's last name.
The parody account's electoral map was not a poll, a projection, or anything rooted in data. It was fan fiction. The image showed Biden winning 438 electoral votes, a margin that would exceed Barack Obama's 2008 landslide, while Vance, the sitting vice president, was reduced to 100. No methodology was cited. No source was given for the numbers.
Hunter Biden's one-word response treated it as something worth cheering.
Reactions on social media were mixed. One supporter urged Biden to run, writing that he had "more people rooting for you than you probably realize." Another called for "a return to decency, civility, and the rule of law", an appeal that requires a certain selective memory when directed at a man who was convicted of lying on a federal firearms form.
Others were less impressed. One user asked bluntly: "Think laptop would cause issues?" Another called the entire spectacle "so embarrassing for real."
The laptop reference points to the hard drive abandoned at a Delaware repair shop, the contents of which became a political flashpoint during the 2020 election. The saga around Hunter Biden's personal controversies has generated years of headlines and unresolved questions that no campaign operation could wish away.
The Irish Star noted that Hunter Biden's apparent political ambitions followed a sit-down interview with conservative commentator Candace Owens. That exchange itself became a source of controversy in right-leaning media circles, with competing accusations flying among conservative commentators about the interview's purpose and fallout.
Whatever the interview accomplished, it seems to have emboldened Biden, or at least emboldened his social media persona. A man who once faced federal charges now toys with the idea of commanding the federal government.
The Democratic Party has spent years insisting it is the party of norms, institutions, and accountability. If Hunter Biden were to mount a serious primary challenge, the party would face a test of whether those words mean anything at all. A candidate who was convicted of a federal crime, pardoned by his father, and whose business dealings overseas drew bipartisan scrutiny would be asking voters to overlook a record that would disqualify most applicants for a mid-level government security clearance.
Recent court filings have revealed that Hunter Biden now lives overseas and faces a lawsuit from a former law firm over unpaid fees, details that add a layer of financial disorder to the political picture.
The parody account paired Biden with Jon Ossoff, the Georgia senator, and pitted them against Vance and Stefanik. That ticket construction tells its own story about the state of Democratic talent. Ossoff won his Senate seat in a January 2021 runoff during a unique political moment. Whether he could carry a national ticket alongside a candidate with Hunter Biden's baggage is a question no serious strategist would welcome.
Hunter Biden has also weighed in on Democratic Party leadership in recent months, criticizing congressional Democrats and elevating California Governor Gavin Newsom as the party's strongest fighter. That commentary positions him less as a bystander and more as someone who believes he has standing to shape the party's direction.
Whether Democratic primary voters agree is another matter entirely. The party's 2028 field will almost certainly include governors, senators, and former cabinet officials who managed to reach middle age without a federal weapons conviction or a presidential pardon from a family member.
It is possible that "LFG" was a joke, a former first son having fun with a parody account on a Monday afternoon. Politicians and their families troll the internet all the time. Not every social media post is a campaign announcement.
But Hunter Biden has made enough public statements about politics, party leadership, and his own future to suggest this is more than idle amusement. He is testing the water, even if only ankle-deep.
The real question is not whether Hunter Biden will run. It is whether a party that lectures the country about accountability and the rule of law would entertain a candidate whose freedom depends on a pardon his father signed on the way out the door.
If the answer is yes, voters will know exactly how much those lectures were ever worth.