Q: What Is the Biden Brand? Devon Archer Talks About How He and Hunter Biden Tried to Profit Off the Biden Brand

On August 28, 2023, Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy pressed White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about testimony from Devon Archer, Hunter Biden’s former business partner. Archer had recently appeared before Congress and described how he and Hunter Biden attempted to profit off the “Biden brand.” When Doocy asked Jean-Pierre directly to define what the Biden brand meant, she refused to engage, repeating that she would not address the topic from the podium.

The exchange was brief but pointed, capturing in a few seconds the tension between reporters seeking accountability and an administration determined to keep its distance from the Hunter Biden controversies. The clip quickly circulated on social media as an example of the White House stonewalling questions about the Biden family’s business dealings.

The Devon Archer Testimony

Devon Archer, a longtime business associate and personal friend of Hunter Biden, testified before the House Oversight Committee in late July 2023. His closed-door testimony provided congressional investigators with a firsthand account of how the Biden family name was leveraged in international business dealings.

Archer described what he characterized as the “Biden brand,” explaining that Hunter Biden’s value to foreign business partners was not rooted in any particular expertise or professional skill set. Instead, Archer testified, the appeal was the perceived access and influence that came with being the son of then-Vice President Joe Biden. Archer told lawmakers that Hunter Biden would frequently place his father on speakerphone during business dinners and meetings with foreign associates, though he characterized these calls as casual exchanges rather than substantive policy discussions.

According to Archer’s testimony, the pair were involved in business ventures spanning multiple countries, including Ukraine, China, and Kazakhstan. Archer had served alongside Hunter Biden on the board of Burisma Holdings, the Ukrainian energy company that became a focal point of political controversy. Archer told investigators that Burisma specifically sought out Hunter Biden for his board position because of the protective value of the Biden name, particularly at a time when the company was facing scrutiny from Ukrainian prosecutors.

The Press Briefing Exchange

The clip from the August 28 press briefing captures the following exchange between Doocy and Jean-Pierre:

Doocy raised the topic of Devon Archer’s congressional testimony and the revelations about profiting off the Biden brand. Jean-Pierre’s response was immediate and dismissive.

“I’m just not going to get into this. I’m just not,” Jean-Pierre said.

Doocy pressed further: “So this testimony, since the last time that I was in here, Devon Archer talks about how he and Hunter Biden tried to profit off the Biden brand. What is the Biden brand?”

Jean-Pierre held firm: “I’m not going to get into it from here. I’m not going to get into it from here. We’re going to move on. Go ahead.”

The exchange lasted only seconds, but it encapsulated a pattern that had become familiar throughout the Biden presidency. The White House consistently maintained that Hunter Biden’s business dealings were personal matters separate from the president’s official duties, and Jean-Pierre routinely deflected questions on the topic by referring reporters to the White House Counsel’s office or to Hunter Biden’s personal legal team.

The Broader Context of the Biden Brand

The phrase “the Biden brand” took on significant political weight throughout 2023 as congressional investigations intensified. House Republicans launched a formal impeachment inquiry into President Biden, seeking to determine whether the president had any direct involvement in or financial benefit from his son’s overseas business ventures.

Central to the investigation was the question of whether Joe Biden, as vice president, had taken any official actions that benefited his son’s business partners. The White House repeatedly denied that the president had any involvement in or knowledge of Hunter Biden’s business dealings, a claim that was challenged by evidence including photographs, text messages, and testimony from associates like Archer.

Doocy’s question about the definition of the Biden brand was strategically significant. By asking Jean-Pierre to define the term, he was effectively asking the White House to acknowledge that Hunter Biden had leveraged his father’s position for commercial gain. Jean-Pierre’s refusal to engage with the question, rather than offering a denial or rebuttal, was noted by critics as a telling non-answer.

Hunter Biden’s Malibu Residence and Art Sales

Doocy’s line of questioning during this briefing also touched on Hunter Biden’s living arrangements and art career. At the time, Hunter Biden was reported to be renting a property in Malibu, California, raising questions about how he was funding a lifestyle that included expensive real estate despite his publicly known financial and legal troubles.

Additionally, Hunter Biden had entered the art world, selling paintings at prices ranging from $75,000 to $500,000. The art sales drew scrutiny from ethics watchdogs who questioned whether buyers were purchasing the paintings for their artistic merit or for the perceived access to the Biden family that such a purchase might signal. The White House had established a process through a gallerist to keep the identities of buyers anonymous, but critics argued this arrangement actually made it easier, not harder, for influence-seeking purchasers to operate without detection.

The Pattern of Deflection

Jean-Pierre’s handling of Biden family questions followed a consistent script throughout her tenure at the podium. When confronted with questions about Hunter Biden’s business dealings, she typically employed one of several responses: referring reporters to the White House Counsel’s office, stating that the president’s son is a private citizen, or simply declining to engage with the question entirely.

This approach drew criticism from journalists across the political spectrum who argued that the American public deserved answers about potential conflicts of interest involving the president’s family. Supporters of the administration countered that the president should not be held responsible for the actions of adult family members and that the investigations were politically motivated.

The August 28 exchange was particularly notable because of its brevity and directness. Doocy asked a simple, clear question, and Jean-Pierre’s flat refusal to address it spoke volumes about the administration’s strategy of avoiding any substantive discussion of the Biden brand concept.

Additional Context

The Devon Archer testimony was part of a broader series of congressional investigations into the Biden family’s financial dealings that intensified throughout 2023 and into 2024. Other witnesses, including IRS whistleblowers and former business associates, provided their own accounts that painted a picture of a family name being monetized through a network of shell companies and international business arrangements.

The Department of Justice was simultaneously pursuing its own case against Hunter Biden, which initially centered on tax and firearms charges. A proposed plea deal collapsed in dramatic fashion in a Delaware courtroom in July 2023, leading to a special counsel appointment and eventually a trial that resulted in Hunter Biden’s conviction on federal gun charges in June 2024.

Throughout all of these proceedings, the White House maintained a firewall between the president and his son’s legal and business troubles, a stance that the “Biden brand” question directly challenged.

Key Takeaways

• Devon Archer testified before Congress that he and Hunter Biden leveraged the “Biden brand” to attract foreign business partners, with the family name serving as the primary asset in their business dealings.
• When Peter Doocy asked Karine Jean-Pierre to define the Biden brand during the August 28, 2023 press briefing, she refused to engage, saying only that she would not get into it from the podium.
• Archer described a pattern in which Hunter Biden would put his father on speakerphone during business meetings, creating an impression of access and influence for foreign partners.
• The exchange highlighted the White House’s consistent strategy of declining to address questions about Hunter Biden’s business activities in any substantive detail.
• The press briefing also touched on questions about Hunter Biden’s expensive Malibu residence and his controversial art sales, both of which raised additional concerns about potential conflicts of interest.