Jill Biden attends first day of Hunter Biden trial in Delaware

First lady Jill Biden arrived Monday morning at a Delaware courtroom where her son, Hunter Biden, will be tried on federal gun charges.

President Biden and the first lady spent Sunday night in Wilmington, Del., where Hunter Biden’s trial is taking place. The Bidens reside in Wilmington and travel there frequently on weekends. Hunter Biden was spotted at the White House last Friday and traveled with his family to Delaware ahead of his trial.

The president’s presence was not expected, as he and the White House tried to keep their distance from the legal proceedings involving his son. But the president has said he is proud of Hunter for dealing with his addiction issues and said Hunter did nothing wrong.

Monday is also Jill Biden’s 73rd birthday.

In addition to the first lady, Hunter’s sister, Ashley Biden, was seen entering the Wilmington courthouse.

Hunter Biden, 54, faces charges for lying on a federal form when he purchased a gun in 2018. He wrote on the form that he was not a drug user, despite being addicted to cocaine at the time.

Hunter Biden has been open about his issues with addiction, detailing his struggles in his 2021 memoir.

Republicans have repeatedly used Hunter Biden as a target for political attacks, trying to link his businesses directly to President Biden to paint the entire family as corrupt. But those efforts failed to produce substantial evidence of wrongdoing, derailing a House impeachment inquiry last year.

Biden’s trial is set to begin just days after a jury in New York City found former President Trump guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to hide alleged affairs during his 2016 campaign.

Democrats have pointed to Hunter Biden’s indictment to refute claims by Trump and his allies that the Justice Department is being used as a weapon against Republicans.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story