Biden Makes Unscheduled Trip To Delaware After Son Found Guilty On Gun Charges
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden abruptly altered his schedule Tuesday afternoon to head home to Wilmington, Delaware, hours after his son, Hunter Biden, was found guilty on gun possession charges.
Joe Biden was to be in Washington, D.C., all day, but hours after a federal jury in Wilmington returned a guilty verdict on all three counts, the White House announced that he would leave the Washington Hilton, where he delivered remarks at a gun violence conference, and go directly to Joint Base Andrews. There, he boarded Marine 1 for the short flight to Wilmington.
Biden did not mention his son’s legal problems at all in his 20-minute speech to the hundreds of attendees at the “Gun Sense University” conference sponsored by Everytown for Gun Safety.
He spoke about the actions he has taken to reduce gun violence and thanked the activists for their work. “We’re going to get there. I have no illusions about how difficult it may be, but I also have illusions about the people in this room,” he said. “You’re changing the attitude of the public. I really mean that.”
The president has not yet spoken about the verdict Tuesday, although he did release a statement shortly after it was announced in the courtroom.
“Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today,” Biden wrote, referring to first lady Jill Biden, who was frequently in the courtroom during the trial. “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. 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 our love and support. Nothing will ever change that.”
Biden plans to leave Wednesday morning for the G7 conference of the world’s largest democratic economies in Italy.
