One of President Biden’s most trusted advisers, his son Hunter Biden, may have had a conflict of interest in advising his father to stay in the race despite his poor performance at last week’s debate.
Hunter Biden was one of the strongest voices imploring his father to stay in the presidential race at a family gathering at Camp David on Sunday, according to The New York Times.
The report said, “Hunter Biden wants Americans to see the version of his father he knew – scrappy and in control of the facts – rather than the stumbling, aging president Americans saw on Thursday night.” and pointed out. , the president’s son “has long been one of his most trusted advisers.”
The report noted that the president’s son, along with first lady Jill Biden, encouraged him to keep things going until November, while other family members such as his grandson, who said they could reach out to social media, also expressed interest in trying to do more to help the campaign. on influential people.
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President Joe Biden and Hunter Biden hold an Easter egg roll on the South Lawn of the White House on April 1, 2024. (Michael Reynolds/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
But Hunter Biden may have the biggest loss if his father drops out of the race, with the president’s son convicted in a federal gun trial last month and another trial later this year, this time against federal tax charges).
While President Biden has the ability to pardon his son in both cases — presidents can pardon prospectively, before someone is tried — he has so far said he believes the first trial was fair, and that he would “abide by the jury’s verdict.”
“I’m not going to do anything,” Biden told reporters last month.
Mike Howell, executive director of the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Program, told Fox News Digital that the president’s son advocating for his continued candidacy is far worse than a common conflict of interest.
“It’s not a conflict of interest at all, it’s just pure and simple a huge interest in his father continuing to be president so that he can pardon not only Hunter but the crimes committed by Joe and other family members and possibly Merrick. Garland, and for his role in the cover-up,” Howell said.
Representatives for Hunter Biden did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Biden’s gathering with family at Camp David came just days after a debate performance that stoked anxiety among Democratic politicians and donors who noted that the president appeared weak compared to former President Trump.
President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden arrive aboard Marine One with granddaughters Natalie Biden, left, and Finnegan Biden, Saturday, June 29, 2024, in East Hampton, New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Biden faces calls to drop out of the race and let a younger candidate take the torch before November, with many expressing doubts about the president’s ability to defeat his primary political rival for a second time.
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A CBS News poll conducted after the debate appeared to confirm these concerns, with 45% of Democrats saying the party should choose another candidate. Worse, only 27% of registered voters overall believe Biden has the mental and cognitive health necessary to serve as president, down from 35% in the last survey before the debate.
Meanwhile, Biden’s campaign has strongly opposed the idea of the president withdrawing, although the New York Times report noted that some sources close to the president said the possibility was not closed.
But NBC News quoted top Democratic sources as saying what the president chooses to do will ultimately depend on discussions between him and his family.
President Biden during last week’s debate in Atlanta. (Getty Images)
“The decision-makers are two people – the president and his wife,” one source said. “Anyone who doesn’t understand the impact this decision has on individuals and families is simply ignorant.”
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“The only person who has ultimate influence over him is the First Lady,” another added. “If she decides she should change course, then of course she will.”
The Biden campaign and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.
