Hunter Biden’s felony gun conviction prompted formal reactions from two United States presidents – his father and Donald Trump.
The first son was found guilty of three felony charges in Delaware on June 11. He faces up to $750,000 in fines and a maximum of 25 years in prison.
President Joe Biden, who has vowed not to pardon Hunter, released a statement shortly after the verdict was read saying he and First Lady Jill Biden “love our son” and they are proud “of the man he is today.”
“So many families who have had loved ones battle addiction understand the feeling of pride seeing someone you love come out the other side and be so strong and resilient in recovery,” said Biden, per Insider Paper. “As I also said last week, I will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal.”
“Jill and I will always be there for Hunter and the rest of our family with love and support. Nothing will ever change that,” said the Democrat.
In response to the verdict, President Donald Trump issued a statement alluding to alleged crimes committed by the Biden family.
“This trial has been nothing more than a distraction from the real crimes of the Biden Crime Family, which has raked in tens of millions of dollars from China, Russia and Ukraine," he said. "Crooked Joe Biden’s reign over the Biden Family Criminal Empire is all coming to an end on November 5th, and never again will a Biden sell government access for personal profit."
Other Republicans seemed unimpressed by the verdict.
“The Hunter Biden gun conviction is kinda dumb tbh,” wrote Congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida.
“Hunter Biden guilty. Yawn. The true crimes of the Biden Crime Family remain untouched,” said Republican activist Charlie Kirk on X. “This is a fake trial trying to make the Justice system appear ‘balanced.’ Don't fall for it.”
Left-leaning commenters largely focused on Hunter Biden’s addiction issues and suggested he was handling the conviction better than Trump, who was convicted in New York last month.
“Hunter Biden is now a convicted felon and I’m sorry but people should not ever support him either for president,” wrote George Takei.
“Hunter Biden has been struggling to get and stay clean for years. It’s a story millions of American families understand,” wrote Rick Wilson of the Lincoln Project on X. “He’s been found guilty, and he will pay the price. Trump has been found guilty and has shown zero remorse or regret, and will never reform or improve.”
“A Trump appointed prosecutor convicted him, but suddenly MAGAs find no conflict,” said Qasim Rashid, a human rights lawyer, in his X post. “No Dem claims this is a witch hunt. This is how *normal* people behave.”
Editor's Note: A previous version of this article included a statement from Trump that has since been deemed false. The article has been updated with an official statement from the Trump campaign's national press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
