DELAWARE — Joe Biden granted his son, Hunter Biden, a full and unconditional presidential pardon in December 2024. The pardon was issued days before the younger Biden's scheduled sentencing for federal gun and tax charges and prior to President Biden leaving office.

Biden had been convicted of gun charges by a federal jury in Delaware in 2024. He also pleaded guilty to three felony and six misdemeanor tax charges. The federal investigation began during Donald Trump's first presidential term, and the prosecutions continued during Biden's presidency.

Biden participated in a podcast interview with California Governor Gavin Newsom. He stated his father's decision on the pardon changed after Donald Trump won a second presidential term. "I would have been under the supervision of the Bureau of Federal Prisons and a target for the new administration. It would have been like having a gun to my family’s head for the next four years at least, so that’s why he pardoned me. It’s a really incredibly rational decision and a really difficult decision," Biden said.

He described the pardon as a demonstration of a father's love. "That’s how much you know my dad loves me," he said. He noted that if a Republican other than Donald Trump had been elected, his father would not have issued a pardon.

Attorney General Merrick Garland retained the U.S. attorney investigating Biden's cases after taking office. Jill Biden, the former first lady, stated that the legal proceedings were unfair. "The process was not fair to Hunter. The current president won, and the Justice Department changed. It became political," she said. The president stated when signing the pardon that raw politics had influenced his son's criminal cases and resulted in a miscarriage of justice.