Day 1 Of Hunter Biden's Gun Trial Proves He Has One Thing Trump Never Did
While Donald Trump made history when he became the first president to be indicted on criminal charges and then continued the historic streak by becoming the first president to be a convicted felon, the Biden family is now making courtroom history of their own. Hunter Biden is on trial in Delaware over gun charges, and it marks the first time a sitting president's child has faced criminal charges in court.
However, Hunter has something that Donald didn't have throughout his trial — the loving, public support of family. Jill Biden, Hunter's stepmother, was there for day 1 of Hunter's trial, which also happened to be her birthday. Despite the trying circumstances, the two were able to hug and share a laugh. According to The Washington Post, when Hunter saw Jill, he said, "Happy birthday. I got you a special event."
Ashley Biden, Hunter's little sister, was also there, and Melissa Cohen Biden, Hunter's wife, accompanied him into the courthouse. The two of them holding hands as they arrived is in stark contrast to Donald and Melania Trump — she never showed up, and Melania's trial absence may have hurt Donald more than he let on.
Hunter Biden's trial may continue to show the strength of his family ties
That isn't to say that Donald Trump wasn't completely without family support during his hush money trial — his son Eric Trump was there the most often — there wasn't ever much interaction between the two of them though. One time they did interact was after Donald's guilty verdict, when Donald shook Eric's hand on the way out of the courtroom. While that was clearly not a time for levity, the difference in interactions between Donald and Eric and Hunter Biden and Jill Biden seems telling — a handshake vs. a hug and a joke.
The federal charges that Hunter is facing include falsely filling out a handgun application form in 2018; he didn't include the fact that he was an illegal drug user at the time. Hunter has shared heartbreaking details of his addiction in the past. If he's convicted, he could be sentenced to 25 years behind bars. Hunter has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Joe Biden wasn't there, but he released a statement about his son's trial, which read, in part, "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," via Politico.