President Joe Biden talks very often about “tipping points.”
He has repeatedly framed his own presidency through a series of global turning points: era-defining moments in which he has sought to present himself as the sober voice of calm leadership.
His life story has also been defined by a series of personal and tragic turning points that have shaped his political trajectory: the death of his first wife and young daughter in a car accident in 1972, the death of his son Major Beau from cancer in 2015. .
Now, the criminal conviction of his son Hunter It is certainly another deeply personal turning point and could well shape the coming months.
Hunter Biden is the latest to find the president’s son guilty
president biden You have always allowed your personal experience to influence your journey.
It was Beau who encouraged him to run for president in 2015. He decided against it: Beau was the Bidens’ future.
The young Biden had a promising political future ahead of him. Or so they had thought.
Beau’s death changed everything professionally and personally for the family.
Professionally, Joe Biden returned to politics to oppose Donald Trump in 2020.
It was a decision he made to fulfill his late son’s wish and finish a journey that Beau couldn’t.
Personally, Beau’s death also had profound consequences for the Bidens.
It exacerbated Hunter’s struggle with addiction and precipitated a relationship between Beau’s widow and Hunter.
It’s possible to draw a line between Beau’s death and his brother’s conviction this week in Delaware.
As a family friend told the Washington Post in February: “Everything would have been 180 degrees different if Beau had lived; there’s no doubt about it. I don’t think Hunter’s life will be derailed…”
The anonymous family friend told the paper: “If Beau wasn’t president of the United States now, he would be on his way to being president. And Joe Biden would never have been president. He would be happily retired.”
Controversy and scandal
The question is what this latest in a series of sliding door moments means for President Biden. What are you going to do now?
The Biden family supported Hunter at trial.
The president published a unusual and deeply personal statement of support at the beginning and the First Lady, Hunter’s stepmother, has been present almost every day.
Read more:
Hunter Biden’s conviction will boost Trump’s rhetoric: analysis
First lady Jill Biden arrives at court to support her stepson on June 10. Photo: Reuters
The family’s anguish and pain have been clear and have no doubt been compounded by politics: the controversy and scandal of a member of the first family on trial.
Remember, Republicans have been out for blood at every stage. Hunter has been his target for years. This conviction will enhance his rhetoric.
The 81-year-old president chose to run for president again. He has put him under enormous scrutiny and immense personal and professional pressure.
In the midst of an exhausting election campaign, Biden is trailing Donald Trump in the polls, a deeply controversial situation. convicted criminal.
Biden freezes during Christmas celebrations
He’s managing multiple extremely dangerous global crises and maintaining a globe-trotting agenda that would challenge someone half his age.
His age and agility, both physical and mental, are a constant worry and concern.
Since his State of the Union address in March, in which he exceeded performance expectations, he has aged noticeably.
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He is the presumptive presidential candidate for the Democratic Party, but this status is only confirmed at the party’s convention in August.
Neither the president nor his campaign team have hinted that he is reconsidering.
But in a life journey marked by so many personal moments of heartbreak, the president’s reaction to this latest twist in his family’s history could be a turning point in itself.
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
