Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, was convicted on felony gun charges in Wilmington, Delaware. The charges relate to his purchase of a handgun in 2018. The conviction is widely viewed as politically motivated by roughly half of Americans, as reported by a Monmouth University poll. The poll indicates that more than half of voters believe the trial was driven by political agendas rather than legal considerations, reflecting a partisan divide. The President’s son was found guilty of lying on a federal form about his drug use. His sentencing remains scheduled.
In contrast, former President Donald Trump’s trial also faced similar public division. Found guilty of 34 felony counts in a New York hush-money case last month, 57% of all voters, and 93% of Republicans, viewed his trial as politically motivated. This highlights the sharply polarized views on legal proceedings involving political figures.
The poll results indicate minimal effect on voting intentions, with voter preferences for the 2024 election remaining mostly unchanged. Separately, both Biden and Trump face additional legal challenges, with Biden’s tax trial set to begin two months before the election, while Trump faces further trials related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results and mishandling classified documents.