Hunter Biden, already convicted in a federal gun case, faces a federal tax trial later this year
Rep. Raskin says Biden's debate performance is a 'big problem' that is prompting 'serious conversation'
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said that the Democratic Party was in discussions as to whether President Biden will represent the party in the campaign against former President Trump.
One of President Biden’s most trusted advisers, his son Hunter Biden, could have a conflict of interest while advising his father to stay in the race despite a disastrous debate performance last week.
Hunter Biden was one of the strongest voices in imploring his father to stay in the presidential race during a family huddle at Camp David on Sunday, according to a report from the New York Times.
"Hunter Biden wants Americans to see the version of his father that he knows – scrappy and in command of the facts – rather than the stumbling, aging president Americans saw on Thursday night," the report said, noting that the president’s son has "long" been one of his most trusted advisers.
The president’s son was joined by First Lady Jill Biden in encouraging him to see things through to November, the report noted, while other family members such as a grandchild have expressed interest in trying to do more to help the campaign, with the grandchild suggesting they could reach out to influencers on social media.
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President Joe Biden and Hunter Biden during the 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 has perhaps the most to lose if his father drops out of the race, with the president’s son still facing sentencing after a conviction in a federal gun trial last month and another trial, this time on federal tax charges, later this year.
While President Biden has the ability to pardon his son in both cases – presidents can pardon prospectively, that is before someone has even been tried – he has so far indicated that he believed the first trial was fair and that he would "abide by the jury’s decision."
"I am not going to do anything," Biden told reporters last month.
Mike Howell, the executive director of the Oversight Project at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital that the president's son advocating for him to stay in the race was far worse than a garden variety conflict of interest.
"It's not a conflict of interest at all, it's just a pure and simple massive interest in his dad staying president so he can pardon not only Hunter, but Joe and the rest of the family for the crimes they committed, and probably Merrick Garland, too, for his role in the cover-up," Howell said.
Representatives for Hunter Biden did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Biden’s Camp David huddle with family members came just days after a debate performance that set off anxiety among Democratic politicians and donors, who noted the president appeared feeble and weak compared to former President Trump.
President Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrive on Marine One with granddaughters Natalie Biden, left, and Finnegan Biden, Saturday, June 29, 2024, in East Hampton, New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Biden has faced calls to drop out of the race and let a younger candidate grab the torch ahead of November, with many expressing doubt that the president was capable of defeating his chief political rival a second time.
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Those fears were seemingly justified by a CBS News poll taken after the debate, where 45% of Democrats indicated the party should choose another candidate. Worse yet, only 27% of registered voters overall believe that Biden has the mental and cognitive health to serve as president, down from 35% in the last survey taken before the debate.
Meanwhile, Biden’s campaign has forcefully pushed back against the idea the president would drop out, though the New York Times report notes that some sources close to the president said the door was not closed to the possibility.
But what the president chooses to do will ultimately come down to discussions between him and his family, NBC News reported after the debate, citing top Democratic sources.
President Biden at the debate in Atlanta last week. (Getty Images)
"The decision-makers are two people – it’s the president and his wife," one of the sources said. "Anyone who doesn’t understand how deeply personal and familial this decision will be isn’t knowledgeable about the situation."
"The only person who has ultimate influence with him is the first lady," added another. "If she decides there should be a change of course, there will be a change of course."
The Biden campaign and White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
