After he was convicted on three felony gun charges, Hunter Biden pledged to keep “moving forward.” President Joe Biden was still processing the legal setback hours later as he praised gun safety advocates for turning their “pain” into “purpose.” And first lady Jill Biden, who had largely cleared her schedule to be with Hunter during the trial, is now set to embark on an extended five-state campaign swing.
The personal and political toll of Hunter Biden’s legal struggles may not be immediately apparent, but the tone he and his parents are trying to set after the trial — the first of two scheduled for Hunter this year — seems clear. As the president is fond of quoting his father as saying, “When you get knocked down, you have to get back up.”
It’s a defiant posture that people close to the family say is both intentional and familiar to them after having experienced even greater setbacks in the past.
“There is nothing stronger than the Bidens coming together during tough times — their tough times just happen to be more public than most families,” said Kendra Lamy, who served as then-Vice President Biden’s press secretary from 2011 through 2015. “They are extremely loyal to each other regardless of the circumstances. I know that they will continue to support Hunter and his family while at the same time going out there to do what is best for the country.”
Biden’s own campaign quickly signaled Wednesday that it will not let Hunter’s conviction prevent it from attacking former President Donald Trump over his. A news release noted that while Biden was traveling to an international summit and his campaign was holding events across the country, Trump had nothing on his public schedule.
“Donald Trump is either too lazy, too tired, or too incapable to campaign after his criminal conviction,” spokesperson James Singer said. “Wednesdays are now just another day of rest for Donald.”
The president and his son enjoyed a brief, emotional moment together Tuesday afternoon in Delaware after the verdict before both were set to again go their separate ways — Hunter to his home in Malibu, California, with his wife and young son, and Biden to the G7 Summit in Italy.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre emphasized to reporters that Biden has a “jam-packed” schedule at the summit, while declining to discuss his reaction to his son’s conviction. She noted, though, that several family members were traveling with Biden to Italy, which will include a private meeting with Pope Francis.
Jill Biden had joined her husband for parts of last week’s trip to France, shuttling back and forth to Delaware twice to be present for Hunter’s trial. The Biden campaign had kept her schedule on hold during the trial, but her advisers on Tuesday afternoon locked in plans for one of her busiest campaign swings to date. She’ll make at least five stops in three days in the battleground states of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nevada and Arizona, while also raising money in California.
She is set to arrive in Southern California on Saturday evening, where her husband will be attending another major fundraiser with former President Barack Obama, this time with George Clooney and Julia Roberts.
Perhaps the biggest test of how the Bidens emerge from the trial will come in two weeks during the first presidential debate. The campaign is bracing for the possibility that Trump will aim to personalize the June 27 faceoff, hoping to rattle Biden by invoking his son. But advisers note that the tactic appeared to backfire four years ago when Trump tried to raise Hunter Biden’s business dealings.
“Like a lot of people we know at home, [he] had a drug problem,” Biden said during a 2020 debate after rebutting what he called a “discredited” attack. “He’s worked on it. And I’m proud of him. I’m proud of my son.”
A campaign official acknowledged that Biden will have less time to prepare for this debate than he did four years ago, citing his “day job.” But they noted the president has gotten increasingly punchier about his rival and plans to carry that through to the debate in Atlanta, while “projecting himself as the wise and steady leader in contrast to Trump’s chaos and division.”
