Hunter Biden has once again publicly denied that he was the person who left cocaine behind at the White House in 2023. In a response to a comment on an X post celebrating his seven years of sobriety, President Joe Biden's son wrote on Monday that “It most definitely was not” his cocaine. He added, “I would never have forgotten my drugs.”
Background of the Incident
The Secret Service discovered a small bag of cocaine in a White House common area approximately three years ago, prompting a brief evacuation and widespread speculation about who was responsible. At the time of the discovery, President Joe Biden and his family were at Camp David. Nevertheless, the Republican Party seized upon Hunter Biden's past drug use and accused him of leaving the cocaine behind.
Investigation Outcome
The Secret Service closed the investigation a little over a week after the drug was found, with no individual identified as a suspect. Hunter Biden first denied the cocaine was his in 2025, stating that he had been clean and sober since June 2019. In an interview with journalist Andrew Callaghan last year, he questioned, “Why would I bring cocaine into the White House, stick it into a cubby outside of the situation room in the West Wing when I wasn’t there? Anyway, who the fuck knows?”
Celebrating Sobriety
On Monday, Hunter Biden reiterated that it marked his seventh anniversary of being clean from drugs and alcohol. In a video message shared on X, he said, “Hey, everybody. Just a quick message to say thank you to everybody who has messaged me today on seven years clean and sober. I’m more proud of that than anything I’ve ever done in my life.”
Past Struggles and Recovery
Biden has been open about his past drug use, particularly in his 2021 memoir, where he wrote that his substance addiction led to a “deep descent” in 2015 following the death of his brother, Beau Biden, from cancer at age 46. He told right-wing podcaster Candace Owens last month that the decision to get clean came after the contents of his laptop became public. “Something broke in me in a good way, which was that I no longer have any fear,” he said, according to The Washington Post. He added, “I don’t blame people who are not realizing that I have worked my effing ass off. I mean, in this environment, the best thing I’ve ever done is stay clean and sober through all of that.”
Need help with substance use disorder or mental health issues? In the U.S., call 800-662-HELP (4357) for the SAMHSA National Helpline.
