Reporter: Republicans Want to Investigate You and Your Son Hunter — Biden: “Lots of Luck in Your Senior Year”; Calls Potential Impeachment “Almost Comedy”

On 11/9/2022, the day after the midterm elections, a reporter asked President Biden about Republican plans to launch investigations into his administration, cabinet officials, and his son Hunter Biden’s business dealings if the GOP won control of the House. Biden’s response was characteristically dismissive: “Lots of luck in your senior year, as my coach used to say.” He called the potential investigations “almost comedy” and suggested “the American public wants us to move on.” Biden referenced Trump’s reported comments about impeaching him as an example of what he viewed as Republican overreach. The dismissive response came just weeks before House Republicans would, in fact, launch a series of investigations into Biden, his family, and the administration.

”Lots of Luck in Your Senior Year”

Biden deployed one of his favorite folksy dismissals. “Lots of luck in your senior year, as my coach used to say,” Biden said, referencing what appeared to be an athletic team expression meaning “good luck — you’re going to need it.”

The phrase was another Biden verbal tic — a prefabricated line he deployed when he wanted to dismiss something without substantive engagement. Like “not a joke,” “I’m not kidding,” and “true story,” “lots of luck in your senior year” was a verbal formula rather than a genuine reaction to the specific question being asked.

The dismissal was notable because the question wasn’t hypothetical. Republicans had explicitly stated their intention to launch investigations if they won the House. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had pledged to establish a select committee on the border. Republican members had introduced resolutions related to impeachment. The Hunter Biden laptop and related business dealings had been under investigation by a Delaware U.S. Attorney. Republicans weren’t speculating about investigations — they were announcing them.

Biden’s “lots of luck” response treated these announced investigations as something to be laughed off rather than prepared for. The confidence may have been political posturing — presidents are supposed to appear unconcerned by hypothetical investigations — but it also suggested a White House that was underestimating the determination and capability of the new Republican House majority to pursue accountability investigations.

”Almost Comedy”

Biden escalated the dismissal. “I mean, I think the American people will look at all of that for what it is. It’s just — I’m almost comedy. I mean, it’s…” Biden said, trailing off before completing the thought.

The “almost comedy” characterization was Biden’s attempt to frame Republican investigations as self-defeating political theater rather than legitimate oversight. The argument rested on voter fatigue — the idea that Americans were tired of political drama and would punish Republicans for investigating the president rather than governing.

But the history of congressional investigations complicated the “voters will punish them” theory. Previous investigations had produced mixed political outcomes: some (like Benghazi) eventually damaged their targets through accumulated negative coverage; others (like the Ken Starr investigation into Clinton) backfired on the investigators. Biden was gambling that Republican investigations would fall into the latter category — but there was no way to know in advance which pattern would emerge.

”The Former President Said”

Biden brought Trump into the answer to highlight what he considered Republican excess. “It was reported many times that Republicans were saying, and the former president said, how many times are you going to impeach Biden? You know, impeachment proceeding against Biden? I mean, I think the American people will look at all of that for what it is,” Biden said.

The reference to Trump’s reported impeachment talk was strategic. Trump had been suggesting Republicans should impeach Biden in retaliation for Trump’s own two impeachments. By highlighting this, Biden cast the Republican investigation agenda as driven by Trump’s personal grievances rather than legitimate oversight concerns.

The framing was effective messaging — linking any Republican investigation to Trump’s revenge fantasies made the investigations seem less credible. But it also risked underestimating the substantive issues Republicans wanted to examine: border security, Afghanistan withdrawal, COVID policies, and Hunter Biden’s business dealings in countries (China, Ukraine) where his father had been vice president during the Obama administration.

”The American Public Wants Us to Move On”

Biden’s core argument was that voters wanted government action rather than political investigation. “Look, I think the American public wants us to move on and get things done for them,” Biden said.

The “move on” framing echoed a recurring Biden theme. Since the 2020 election, Biden had repeatedly positioned himself as the president of normalcy — the leader who would return government to functional operations after the chaos of the Trump years. Investigations, in this framework, were the opposite of normalcy — distractions from the real work of governing.

The problem with this framing was that it applied selectively. The Biden White House had been enthusiastic about the January 6 select committee investigation of Trump, the various criminal investigations of Trump and his associates, and the media coverage of Trump-related legal proceedings. None of those were characterized as distractions from “getting things done.” Biden wanted voters to reject Republican investigations while embracing Democratic investigations — a distinction that required accepting the premise that only one party was legitimately interested in accountability.

The Hunter Biden Question

The reporter’s specific reference to Hunter Biden’s business dealings was pointed. Hunter Biden had been under federal investigation for tax issues since 2018, and the Department of Justice would eventually bring charges against him in 2023. His business dealings with Ukrainian energy company Burisma, Chinese investment entities, and other foreign interests had been the subject of persistent media coverage and Republican concerns.

Biden’s dismissive response — “lots of luck in your senior year” — didn’t address any of the specific concerns Republicans had raised about Hunter Biden. The former vice president’s son had received millions of dollars from foreign business interests during Biden’s vice presidency. Whether these transactions were problematic, illegal, or merely unseemly was a legitimate question that Republicans were preparing to investigate.

What Actually Happened

In the months after this exchange, House Republicans launched the investigations Biden had dismissed:

The Oversight Committee opened investigations into Hunter Biden’s business dealings
The Judiciary Committee established a “weaponization of the federal government” subcommittee
Multiple committees issued subpoenas to Biden family members and associates
House Republicans eventually launched a formal impeachment inquiry in September 2023

The investigations Biden had characterized as “almost comedy” became a central feature of his final two years in office. The “lots of luck in your senior year” dismissal didn’t slow them down or cause voters to reject them — the investigations proceeded regardless of Biden’s public posture.

Key Takeaways

Biden dismissed Republican plans to investigate him and Hunter Biden with “lots of luck in your senior year” and called the prospect “almost comedy.”
He argued “the American public wants us to move on” — framing investigations as distractions from governing.
Biden referenced Trump’s reported impeachment talk to characterize Republican investigations as driven by personal grievance.
The dismissal was selective — the Biden White House supported extensive investigations of Trump while dismissing Republican investigations of Biden.
House Republicans did, in fact, launch the investigations Biden dismissed, including a formal impeachment inquiry in September 2023.

Transcript Highlights

The following is transcribed from the video audio (unverified — AI-generated from audio).

Republicans want to investigate you. They may even want to investigate your son.
What’s your message to Republicans who are considering investigating your family, and particularly your son Hunter’s business dealings?
Lots of luck in your senior year, as my coach used to say.
I think the American public wants us to move on and get things done for them.
The former president said, how many times are you going to impeach Biden?
The American people will look at all of that for what it is. It’s almost comedy.

Full transcript: 177 words transcribed via Whisper AI.