National attention is already starting to drift toward the 2028 presidential cycle, even though no major-party candidates have formally entered the race. That speculation widened again on September 6, 2026, when Hunter Biden told New York radio host John Catsimatidis that he “may have to” run for president if he secures Catsimatidis’s endorsement. The exchange put the former president’s son back into a political conversation he had publicly brushed off just weeks earlier.
Hunter Biden revives 2028 speculation on New York radio
Hunter Biden made the comment during an interview with John Catsimatidis, the New York businessman, radio host and conservative donor who is widely known as an ally of President Donald Trump, according to the Washington Examiner’s account of the broadcast published September 6. Asked directly about a possible White House bid, Biden said he “may have to” run if Catsimatidis endorsed him, a line the Examiner described as appearing to be a joke.
The remark nonetheless marked a shift in tone from Biden’s earlier public comments. In an August 21 appearance on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, Biden said he had not seriously thought about running and added that if he ever announced a campaign, “somebody should check and see if I relapsed,” according to the Examiner. The same report said Biden recently marked seven years of sobriety and has continued to speak publicly about addiction recovery.
During the Catsimatidis interview, Biden also laid out what he said he sees as a basic qualification for the presidency: adherence to the Constitution and the rule of law, according to the Examiner. He said he would want a future president to commit to upholding those principles and added that he remains focused on people dealing with addiction.
The most direct geographic connection in this episode is New York, where Catsimatidis’s radio platform gave the comment its audience and where the endorsement line immediately became part of the state’s political media conversation. What is confirmed is that Biden made the comment to a New York host with a well-known connection to Trump-world; what is not confirmed is any actual campaign structure, fundraising apparatus or ballot strategy tied to New York or any other state.
There is also no indication that Hunter Biden has filed to run, formed an exploratory committee or announced a campaign team. Publicly available reporting reviewed here does not show a launch event, travel schedule or policy rollout. The available accounts instead describe the moment as political banter that quickly fed national speculation already surrounding the post-Biden future of the Democratic Party.
That conversation has reached beyond New York because Biden used the same interview to praise several Democratic governors. The Daily Beast reported that he pointed to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as leaders he would be proud to see serve as president, framing them as part of an “incredible bench.”
The latest exchange did not emerge in isolation. Earlier in 2026, Biden had already drawn attention with another joking nod to future politics, saying he would run with Gavin Newsom but only as the vice-presidential pick, according to a June 15 report from 77 WABC. That earlier episode, like the Catsimatidis remark, circulated largely because it touched a nerve in a Democratic Party still sorting through its next generation of national figures.
Reporting from the Washington Examiner and The Daily Beast suggests the current attention is being driven less by campaign mechanics than by symbolism. Biden remains a highly recognizable and polarizing figure because of his family ties, past legal troubles and public recovery story. Those factors make even offhand comments unusually newsworthy, especially in a political environment where personalities often shape early 2028 discussion before formal announcements begin.
For voters and political observers, the practical takeaway is narrow for now. There is no verified presidential campaign, no announced endorsement from Catsimatidis and no evidence that Hunter Biden is assembling a national operation. What exists is a fresh public remark, delivered on September 6, that reinserted him into a presidential conversation he had recently downplayed while he continued to emphasize recovery and the Democratic bench.