President Biden has been at son Hunter’s side ahead of gun trial

(CNN) — In the days and weeks leading up Hunter Biden’s trial on felony gun charges, President Joe Biden made little attempt to distance himself from his son. Instead, Hunter Biden was seen at the White House and in Delaware at his father’s side amid what the president’s allies acknowledge is a difficult moment for both men.

They attended a White House state dinner for Kenya last month; marked the ninth anniversary of the death of Beau Biden, the president’s eldest son, at church last week; and cycled together along a trail in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Saturday.

The president also planned to spend most of Monday in Wilmington, where jury selection for the trial – the first of a sitting US president’s child – is underway. He traveled there Sunday evening, arriving earlier than originally planned.

As proceedings were getting underway, first lady Jill Biden — who, like her husband, has remained supportive and protective of Hunter amid his addiction and legal problems — was seen arriving at the courthouse.

“I am the President, but I am also a Dad. Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today,” the president said in a statement Monday.

“Hunter’s resilience in the face of adversity and the strength he has brought to his recovery are inspiring to us. A lot of families have loved ones who have overcome addiction and know what we mean,” he went on. “As the President, I don’t and won’t comment on pending federal cases, but as a Dad, I have boundless love for my son, confidence in him, and respect for his strength. Our family has been through a lot together, and Jill and I are going to continue to be there for Hunter and our family with our love and support.”

Hunter Biden, 54, is accused of illegally purchasing and possessing a gun while abusing or being addicted to drugs, a violation of federal law. He pleaded not guilty to the three charges, though he has been open about his struggles with alcohol and crack cocaine addiction.

For the president, the legal problems facing his son have been reason to pull him close, rather than push him away. Joe Biden has paid little mind to some of his allies who question the approach. Instead, his concern for his son’s well-being surpasses any potential political fallout, advisers have said.

That concern has appeared at moments to be all-consuming, including in the darkest moments of Hunter Biden’s addiction, when the president and his family desperately sought to head off a self-destructive cycle.

Joe Biden still speaks with or texts with his son almost daily, particularly as his legal issues mounted.

The president told an interviewer last year his son had done “nothing wrong,” and that the only way Hunter Biden’s legal issues were affecting his presidency was in creating a surge of fatherly pride.

“It impacts my presidency by making me feel proud of him,” he said on MSNBC.

As the gun trial gets underway, Biden will be heading overseas to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day. There is little question he will remain in regular touch with his son while abroad and will keep abreast of the trial amid a heavy schedule of commemorations, speeches and a state visit in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron.

But neither he nor the White House is expected to speak proactively about the trial. Hunter Biden’s legal team generally operates separately from the president and his campaign, and there are few who believe there would be much benefit in the president weighing in publicly.

Prosecutors have said they plan to call about a dozen witnesses for their case.

Most notably, they’ve lined up testimony from three of Hunter Biden’s former romantic partners to testify about his drug use around the time he bought the gun. This includes his ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle, and his late brother’s widow, Hallie Biden, whom Hunter Biden later dated.

Their testimony could bring to life a period that Hunter Biden has described as his rock bottom, during which he was almost always on drugs or trying to get drugs. At his attempted plea hearing last year, Hunter Biden testified that he has been sober since May 2019.

There was a time last summer when the president and his orbit believed Hunter Biden’s legal ordeal would end with a plea deal and that the family would be able to close a dark chapter.

Those hopes were dashed when the agreement fell apart and, weeks later, a special counsel was appointed to oversee the investigation into the president’s son, opening the prospect of prolonged legal battles overlapping with Joe Biden’s run for reelection.

But many in Biden’s orbit suggest his son’s legal issues will not be a driving concern for voters heading into November’s election.

Still, few issues are more sensitive inside the Biden White House than the president’s son, from his addiction battles to his legal woes.

That has largely left Hunter Biden and his team to go on their own offense, accusing Republicans and others of trying to use his addiction issues for political profit.

“They are trying to, in their most illegitimate way, but rational way, they’re trying to destroy a presidency,” Hunter Biden said in a podcast released late last year. “And so, it’s not about me, and … what they’re trying to do is they’re trying to kill me, knowing that it will be a pain greater than my father could be able to handle and so therefore destroying a presidency in that way.”

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misidentified a potential prosecution witness.

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