After being convicted of three gun crimes, Hunter Biden promised to “keep moving forward.” President Joe Biden hours later, he was still processing the legal setback as he praised gun safety advocates for turning their “pain” into “goal.” And first lady Jill Biden, who cleared her schedule largely to be with Hunter during the trial, is now about to embark on an extensive campaign in five states.
The personal and political toll of Hunter Biden’s legal battle may not be immediately apparent, but the tone he and his parents are trying to set after the trial — the first of two planned for Hunter this year — seems clear. As the president likes to quote his father, “When you get knocked down, you gotta get back up.”
It’s a defiant attitude that people close to the family say is both intentional and familiar to them, having experienced even greater setbacks in the past.
“There is nothing more powerful than the Bidens coming together in tough times – their tough times are simply more public than those of most families,” said Kendra Lamy, who served as then-Vice President Biden’s press secretary from 2011 to 2015. used to be. extremely loyal to each other, regardless of the circumstances. I know they will continue to support Hunter and his family while doing what is best for the country.”
Biden’s own campaign quickly made clear Wednesday that Hunter’s conviction will not stop it from attacking former President Donald Trump for his. A press release noted that while Biden traveled to an international summit and his campaign hosted events across the country, Trump had nothing on his public agenda.
“Donald Trump is either too lazy, too tired, or too incompetent to campaign after his criminal conviction,” said spokesman James Singer. “Wednesday is now just a rest day for Donald.”
The president and his son enjoyed a brief, emotional moment together in Delaware on Tuesday afternoon after the ruling before heading their separate ways – Hunter to his home in Malibu, California, with his wife and young son, and Biden to the G7 – top in Italy.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stressed to reporters that Biden has a “packed” agenda at the summit, while declining to discuss his response to his son’s conviction. However, she noted that several family members traveled with Biden to Italy, where a private meeting with Pope Francis will take place.
Jill Biden joined her husband on part of the trip to France last week, shuttling back and forth to Delaware twice to attend Hunter’s trial. The Biden campaign had suspended its schedule during the trial, but its advisers laid out plans Tuesday afternoon for one of its busiest campaign shifts yet. She will 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 arrives in Southern California on Saturday evening, where her husband will attend 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 look to personalize the June 27 confrontation, hoping to upset Biden by invoking his son. But advisers note that the tactic appeared to backfire four years ago when Trump tried to bring up Hunter Biden’s business dealings.
“Like many 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 worked on it. And I’m proud of him. I am 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 that the president has become increasingly strident about his rival and plans to carry that into the Atlanta debate as he “projects himself as the wise and steadfast leader in contrast to Trump’s chaos and division.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
