In a Delaware courtroom this week, federal prosecutors presented a sordid tale of drug use and a fateful gun purchase by President Biden’s son.
Hunter Biden’s trial has revealed some of the first family’s deepest pain and the strength of the bonds that underpin it. On Friday, Hunter Biden’s daughter Naomi testified in his defense, as first lady Jill Biden looked on, having returned from France.
The trial has also marked a nuanced shift in how Biden and his wife have publicly addressed the addiction that has impacted Hunter’s life, and ultimately their own lives — something neither of them talks about much, but that has changed since it became a key element of their son’s criminal defense.
I spoke with Katie Rogers, a New York Times White House correspondent who has written extensively about the Biden family and how the president is handling this difficult time. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Hunter Biden is on trial for failing to declare drug use on a federal application to buy a gun. It’s a remarkable moment, and a strange one at that. How did this happen?
The death of Hunter’s brother, Beau Biden, from brain cancer in 2015 was a life-changing event for Hunter. After struggling with alcoholism and drug addiction issues for some time, Hunter began using crack cocaine and began dating Beau’s widow, Hallie. In October 2018, Hunter purchased a Colt Cobra gun and filled out a federal form, checking the box indicating he was not a drug addict or drug user. Drug use disqualifies a person from owning a gun from a licensed dealer.
As Harry said in court yesterday, she panicked when she found the gun and threw it in a trash can behind a grocery store in Delaware, where it was eventually found.
A key part of Hunter Biden’s defense is that this is not a crime that would normally be prosecuted. How and why did he become the subject of a federal investigation into this incident?
Weeks after the 2020 election, Hunter Biden announced he was under investigation for his taxes and finances, which eventually expanded to include his gun possessions, and the trial that followed the collapse of a plea deal last year, which led to a special counsel investigation and indictment.
How is President Biden addressing this issue publicly? What is he saying about Hunter? What role does Hunter play in Washington and in the White House?
The two are incredibly close, a relationship born out of the trauma of a car accident that killed Biden’s first wife and eldest daughter (Hunter’s mother and sister). There is also an unwavering loyalty and dependency. Hunter lives in Los Angeles with his wife and young son, but is often in Washington, staying at the White House and attending major events such as the Easter Egg Roll and state dinners.
When it comes to scrutiny of such decisions, the Bidens have been outspoken in their defiance: Hunter has been the target of attacks from Republicans seeking to link his business dealings to his father, the president, but the Bidens have not shamed him and have refused to treat him like a burden.
Hunter is someone who should be kept in the family because, as history has shown, he is a danger to himself if he strays, and I think that’s something that a lot of families can relate to, but the First Family has really realized that in this trial in a way that they’ve never seen before.
Let’s talk a little bit more about that. Hunter’s crack cocaine addiction is a central element of this trial. How has President Biden spoken about it so far? And what has changed?
Joe Biden has often allowed his son to try to work things out or become independent. Before he became president, Biden had spoken out about addiction and alcoholism as something older relatives and people his age struggled with. Even though Hunter had struggled for some time, he never spoke about it in the context of his son. Hunter first publicly detailed his problems in a 2019 New Yorker article and later in his memoir. Republicans and right-wing media jumped on Hunter’s issues, trying to paint his private life in the most unfavorable light possible.
Biden followed suit, beginning to argue that addiction is a brain disease. At a 2021 CNN town hall meeting, Biden said he was proud of his son and all he’d overcome, but he basically referred people to his son’s book. Biden still let his son take the lead.
Before the trial began this week, Biden released a statement saying, “Many families have loved ones who have overcome addiction and understand what we’re talking about,” something he had not made public until his son did. The president has been following his son’s trial and has made a public appeal to families across America who have loved ones with this problem.
Why is it important for the family to acknowledge addiction in Hunter’s defense?
The appeal is consistent with the defense’s argument, which has delved into some of the complexities of the disease of addiction. Part of the defense’s argument is that Hunter’s sobriety in 2018 was precarious, and that there were moments when he was hopeful and trying to stay away from drugs. The defense is trying to argue that Hunter was sober, or may have thought he was, when he signed the federal papers. The defense is trying to add a lot of nuance to this in a way that the prosecution cannot, but so far the prosecution has not proven in court that Hunter was under the influence of drugs when he signed the papers.
What do we know from your reporting about how this trial has affected President Biden and Jill Biden?
“People close to the president say this is what he thinks about when he wakes up in the morning. He has a lot of issues to deal with — Gaza, Ukraine, his reelection fight — but Hunter is at the top of his mind. He’s worried about his son’s health. He knows that his son is a drug addict. So this is a big burden for the president, and for the first lady, and it ripples through the whole family.”
The First Lady’s return to Wilmington this week was a dramatic show of support and another sign of where this family’s loyalties lie. The President and Hunter speak at least once a day. It’s a call to make sure he’s OK. I think they’re paying close attention to how the trial is going, but they’re probably paying even closer attention to how Hunter is doing, because he’s had to sit there for days and relive some of the worst moments of his life that he’s heard from those closest to him who have also been through that nightmare. And as we saw in court, they continue to suffer for his actions.
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What to read (and listen to) this weekend
Mike Pence bids his time
It’s not easy being Mike Pence these days. Adam NagornyLongtime political reporter for The New York Times I spoke with Pence about trying to revive my political career.We asked Adam to share a bit more about how it’s progressing.
In the course of reporting on the former vice president, I sent a text message to Steve Bannon, one of Trump’s staunchest supporters, in which he called Trump “Judas Pence.”
Bannon is the man who was ordered to report to prison on July 1 for failing to comply with a subpoena from the House committee investigating the attempted insurrection of January 6, 2021. Pence is the man who refused to help overturn the election results that day. And Pence is the outcast within his own party.
Pence is a Republican veteran who is closer to Reagan than to Trump. He is clearly unhappy with the direction Trump has taken the party over the past four years on issues like tariffs, debt and abortion. He argues that Trump has strayed from the positions his administration has taken and from the fundamental principles of the conservative movement. Indeed, Pence has recently appeared more eager to promote the policies of the Trump administration than Trump himself.
But when I interviewed Pence recently in Manhattan and asked him if he felt isolated within his party, he seemed surprised. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair and paused. “I hope not,” he said. “I hope I’m on the continent. That’s where I’ve been ever since I joined the Republican Party.”
That may be true, but the Republican Party is no longer what it was when he joined, and Pence is struggling to adapt to the changes.
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Special Thanks Katie Rogers Thank you for your contribution.
