Hunter Biden looked teary-eyed as he was hugged by First Lady Jill Biden and his half-sister Ashley Biden during a mid-morning break in jury selection.
In turn the two women kissed Hunter on the cheek and embraced him after he stepped out of the well of the court and into the public seating area.
Jill and Ashley spent the morning sitting on the front row of the public benches directly behind Hunter at the defense table.
Ashley listened intently and occasionally leaned forward, taking notes with a red pencil and notebook.
The First Lady, dressed all in purple, showed little reaction or emotion.
That included when a former colleague of hers was called as a potential juror and appeared to look over several times in her direction.
Jill Biden walks into the courthouse with grandson-in-law Peter Neal (right) and longtime aide Anthony Bernal (left)
In the cavernous wood-paneled courtroom Hunter Biden sat with his lawyer Abbe Lowell to his right.
The president’s son occasionally donned a pair of peach-colored reading glasses to look at documents.
He whispered frequently to Lowell who at one point put his hand on the back of Hunter’s neck and hugged him.
Potential jurors were brought in one by one and stood in a corner of the courtroom next to a microphone about 20ft from Hunter Biden.
As Judge Maryellen Noreika asked them questions few of them looked across the room in the defendant’s direction.
The women in the Biden family were out in full force on Monday to support Hunter Biden on the first day of his gun trial.
Jill Biden, sister Ashley Biden and wife Melissa Cohen all were seen walking into the courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware. Melissa was at her husband’s side, holding his hand.
Monday also marks Jill Biden’s 73rd birthday. She walked into the courthouse with Peter Neal, Naomi’s husband and her grandson-in-law, at her side.
Inside the courtroom, Hunter Biden greeted his mother with a bit of a joke as they waited for the trial to being.
‘Happy Birthday,’ he said. ‘I got you to a special event.’
The duo laughed.
President Joe Biden and Jill Biden changed their schedule to be in Wilmington for the morning of Hunter’s trial, where he faces charge on three felonies stemming from a 2018 firearm purchase.
They left their Rehoboth beach house on Sunday night when they were originally scheduled to leave Monday. They spent the night in their Wilmington home. Hunter is believed to be staying there with them.
The Biden family is tight, having bonded through multiple tragedies – the death of Hunter’s mom Neilia in a car crash when he and Beau were young children, Beau’s death in 2015 from cancer and Hunter’s years-long struggle with addiction.
The president put out a statement on Monday morning in support of his son.
‘I am the President, but I am also a Dad. Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today. Hunter’s resilience in the face of adversity and the strength he has brought to his recovery are inspiring to us,’ he said.
‘A lot of families have loved ones who have overcome addiction and know what we mean. As the President, I don’t and won’t comment on pending federal cases, but as a Dad, I have boundless love for my son, confidence in him, and respect for his strength. Our family has been through a lot together, and Jill and I are going to continue to be there for Hunter and our family with our love and support.’
The president kept his son close this weekend. The two were bicycle ride and at church on Saturday afternoon in Rehoboth Beach, Del.
The first lady has spoken of her belief in Hunter’s innocence.
‘I think what they are doing to Hunter is cruel,’ Jill Biden told MSNBC in November. ‘I’m really proud of how Hunter has rebuilt his life after addiction. I love my son.’
Jill Biden considers her stepson a son. Hunter was seven when she married Joe in 1977. She has often spoke about how she rejected Joe’s proposal multiple times because she wanted to be sure the marriage would be stable for Beau and Hunter.
‘I had to make absolutely sure that this marriage was going to work because [the brothers] had lost their mother and they had lost their sister. I knew that it had to work because they had lost so much. They had to feel secure that this marriage would work,’ she has said.
Hunter Biden walks into the courthouse with wife Melissa Cohen
Ashley Biden arrives at the courthouse
Hunter faces charges that he lied about his drug use on a form he filled out to purchase a handgun in 2018. In his memoir he writes about how Beau’s death retrigged his addiction.
At the time of the gun purchase, he was separated from his first wife Kathleen and dating Hallie Biden, Beau’s widow.
He has said the two bonded through their grief.
Hallie was the one who found the gun and threw it in the trash can of a grocery store.
Both she and Kathleen are expected to testify.
Hunter has pleaded not guilty and has argued he’s being unfairly targeted by the Justice Department. He originally had a plea deal that promised some immunity and no prison time but it collapsed last year in face of Republican criticism that the president’s son was getting a sweetheart deal.
If he were to be convicted, he could face fines up to $750,000 and up to 25 years in prison, though first-time offenders do not get anywhere near the maximum and it’s unclear whether the judge would give him time behind bars.
Monday starts with jury selection, a process that is expected to last around three days.
Hunter and Kathleen have three daughters from their marriage – Naomi, Finnegan and Maisy. None of the three girls were seen at the courthouse.
Hunter married Melissa Cohen in May 2019 after knowing her only for six days. They have a son, four-year-old Beau.
Hunter faces a second trial September on charges he failed to pay taxes from a time when he was using drugs and alcohol heavily and spending lavishly. He has since paid his back taxes.
