Hunter Biden Raises Concerns With Call To Democrats To ‘Turn The Temperature Up’

Hunter Biden, son of former President Joe Biden, recently told the “Wide Awake Podcast” host Joshua Rubin that Democrats should “turn the temperature up” when confronting extremism on society’s fringes.

Asked whether both sides needed to calm down in the face of escalating radicalization, Biden responded firmly: “No, we need to turn the temperature up. We need to turn the temperature up, and we need people to see it for what it is. And what I mean by that is this: I do not believe that we are going to get to the bottom until we get to the bottom. And I want to get to the bottom faster rather than through this slow kind of process of just being picked apart — a death by a thousand cuts here.”

Biden was quick to clarify, “I’m not talking about violence — 100% not meaning violence,” and added: “What I mean by turning the temperature up is we need to speak truth to power.”

He went on: “We need more people in my party, in the Democratic Party, more people in elected positions or in positions of power, or the talking heads that get paid to go on MSNBC … they need to start talking about this as it is, not as a conjecture about whether or not the Supreme Court [sic] and this debate.”

Turning to journalism, Biden called out CNN’s Jake Tapper by name: “You have people like Jake Tapper who are having hard-ball discussions with Donald Trump over text. Like, what the f— are you talking about, man? That’s not journalism. That’s a complete and utter abdication of responsibility as a journalist.”

Tapper came under criticism at the time for conducting a supposed “interview” with Trump via text message—an approach described by MS NOW host Lawrence O’Donnell as a “complete and utter abdication of responsibility.”

A CNN spokesperson defended Tapper, saying the network’s journalists will always take any opportunity to question those in power.

Biden’s remarks come amid a troubling backdrop of rising political violence. In July 2024, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump survived a sniper’s shot to the ear at a rally near Butler, Pennsylvania — an assassination attempt described as the most serious threat to a U.S. president or major candidate since 1981.

And this summer, the politically motivated assassination of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, at their Brooklyn Park home in Minneapolis and shooting of State Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, in their nearby Champlin home in a related attack jolted state lawmakers and security officials across the country.

Given this context, Biden’s call to “turn the temperature up” takes on additional weight. To many conservatives, however, the phrase may signal a dangerous escalation in rhetoric at a moment when any spark might ignite further violence. If Democrats are encouraging heightened intensity — even while disclaiming violence — it raises questions about where the line is drawn between vigorous political debate and incitement.

At the same time, Biden’s critique of the media, and particularly his naming of Tapper, reflects a broader concern among Republicans: the perception that major outlets treat the left and right differently, and may allow one side to challenge power with fewer consequences. By urging Democrats and media figures to speak “truth to power,” Biden appears to be asking for more aggressive accountability — but in doing so, he may also be ratcheting up the volume in an already overheated atmosphere.

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