CNN
—
First lady Jill Biden has been traveling in every possible way this week to show her support for her son, Hunter, whose federal firearms trial is ongoing.
The first lady attended the first three days of her son’s felony trial in a Wilmington, Delaware, courthouse this week, listening to testimony reflecting on one of the most difficult periods of his life. After leaving court on Wednesday, she took an overnight flight to France to attend the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings.
Less than 24 hours later, she boarded a military plane at Paris-Orly airport to fly back to Wilmington and is due to appear in court again on Friday. Dr Biden is due to return to Paris this weekend for an official visit with her husband, President Joe Biden.
The hours in a Delaware courtroom, with multiple trips back and forth between courtrooms and repeated retellings of details from a tumultuous saga in their family history, were the latest example of how close the first lady and the president have remained to their only surviving son, even as the legal battle continues against the backdrop of a presidential campaign.
“I am president, but I am also a father. Jill and I love our son and are so proud of the man he has become,” the president said in a statement Monday as the trial began. “Our family has been through a lot together, and Jill and I will continue to offer our love and support to Hunter and his family.”
With the president spending much of Monday at his home in Wilmington, a few miles away, the Bidens wanted to be nearby once the trial began, and there was no question that the first lady would be in the courtroom throughout the trial to support her son, even when official duties required her to return to Washington, D.C., or overseas.
“She’s his mother and he’s on trial, so of course she wants to be there as much as possible,” said Elizabeth Alexander, a spokeswoman for the first lady.
“I think a lot of parents, especially mothers, feel that when their children need them, no matter how old they are, they’re always their children and they want to be there for them,” she added.
The first day of the trial coincided with what would have been the first lady’s 73rd birthday.rd birthday. On Tuesday, she welcomed lawmakers to the annual White House Congressional Picnic after appearing in court earlier in the day. That evening, she returned to Delaware and is expected to appear in court Wednesday morning and remain there throughout the trial.
“That’s just who she is, the back and forth, the push and pull of family responsibilities, first lady duties, career and campaigning,” Alexander said.
The White House has not announced the first lady’s appearance in Delaware in advance, and she could be there when other family members are called to testify in the coming days. Hunter Biden’s defense team plans to call his daughter, Naomi Biden, and his uncle, James Biden, the president’s brother, to testify when they begin their arguments on Friday, according to people briefed on the plans.
She heard the prosecution’s arguments and questioned witnesses regarding three felony charges stemming from a gun purchased by her son in 2018. Dr. Biden was in France and was not present when Hallie Biden, the widow of Beau Biden, who later became romantically involved with Hunter Biden, took the stand.
The first lady sat impassive as her son’s voice echoed through the courtroom as prosecutors played lengthy audio excerpts in which he detailed his addiction in his memoir — details she’d likely heard before.
During court breaks, she spent time with Hunter, the defense team and Biden’s family in a small room a few steps away from the courtroom, with a Secret Service cell guarding the door. During a break in court on Tuesday, the first lady huddled for a few minutes with her son’s lawyer, Abe Lowell.
The first lady assumed the role of matriarch when she married Biden, then a senator, in 1977. Five years earlier, Biden’s first wife and infant daughter were killed in a car accident that also injured Beau and Hunter.
“Jill came in at a really critical time and really brought my family back together,” the president said in an interview in 2021. “She’s really the glue that holds our family together.”
The Biden family was tested again in 2015 when Beau Biden, who many believed would one day run for the White House, died of brain cancer. The next few years were tumultuous for the Bidens as Hunter Biden sank into the dark depths of drug addiction. In his memoir, “Beautiful Things,” he details how his parents tried to intervene in their Wilmington home, a moment that left family members screaming and crying.
The first lady is known for being fiercely protective of her family, and in 2022 she defended Hunter when he faced a federal criminal investigation.
“Everybody has been investigating Hunter. They’ve been investigating him for a long time. I know Hunter is innocent. I love my son and we will continue to move forward,” the first lady told NBC News.
The first lady slammed House Republicans investigating her son, saying, “What they’re doing to Hunter is cruel.”
“I’m really proud of Hunter’s recovery from his drug addiction,” the first lady said in an interview earlier this year. “I love my son, but it’s hurting me, it’s hurting my grandchildren, and that’s what I’m so concerned about. It’s impacting their lives.”
In an interview with ABC News on Thursday, the president said he would accept the jury’s verdict in Hunter’s case and ruled out the possibility of pardoning his son. The first lady would be by his side at home and in court to support him until a verdict is reached.
