Hunter Biden attends the state dinner at the White House on June 22. Some Democrats privately cringed at the decision. Hunter Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland were among the 400 guests at the dinner as Republicans accused the president’s son of having gotten a “sweetheart” plea deal. That has resulted in tensions between legal teams for the president and Hunter Biden and very delicate attempts by the president’s advisers to explain to him how his son’s elevated public profile may not be in his best interest when it comes to political goals - specifically winning re-election in what could be a rematch of the 2020 race against Donald Trump, these people said.Īnd, most notably, Hunter Biden was a guest at a White House state dinner for the leader of India just two days after the public learned of a plea agreement he reached with the Justice Department over tax evasion and gun charges. “It’s consumed him,” a person close to the president said.įor months as Hunter Biden’s legal woes persisted and he prepared to mount a public defense against Republican attacks after several years largely staying silent, Biden’s closest political and legal advisers have had to balance their instincts to protect their boss with his parental desire to protect his son, according to the people familiar with the dynamic. Behind the Hunter Biden photo-ops and the state dinner invitations, they say, is an existential concern that weighs on the president daily: If he loosens his grip on his son, who or what will replace it - and to what end? For Biden, keeping his son - a recovering drug addict - close means keeping him safe, people close to the president say. The blunt directive helps explain why in recent months the father-and-son public appearances seem to have increased in tandem with intensified scrutiny of Hunter Biden’s legal troubles.īut the public displays of parental support, to the dismay of some Democrats, aren’t just about a loving father or a stubborn president’s defiance.

Being a primal hunter