Updated: October 2, 2020 8:24:58 am
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, and the former vice president of the Democratic candidate Joe Biden participate in the first presidential debate on Tuesday, September 29 (Photo: AP).
In what is widely considered one of the lowest points in the chaotic first presidential debateOn Tuesday, US President Donald Trump launched a personal attack on former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden.
During the first debate, Biden paid tribute to his late son Beau, who served in the military during the Iraq war, and criticized Trump for derogatory remarks he had allegedly made earlier about fallen soldiers.
Trump responded by bringing up Hunter Biden’s struggle with drug addiction, claiming that he made “millions of dollars” from China, Moscow and Ukraine while his father served as vice president of the United States.
Here’s everything you need to know about Biden’s children and why they were brought up during the presidential debate.
Who was Beau Biden?
Beau Biden was the eldest son of Joe Biden. Before passing away from brain cancer in 2015 at the age of 46, Beau followed in his father’s footsteps and pursued a career in politics. He served as the 44th Attorney General for the US state of Delaware from 2007 to 2015.
Joe Biden had always hoped that his oldest son would one day be elected President of the United States. “I was pretty sure that Beau could run for president one day and, with the help of his brother, he could win,” he had written in his memoir ‘Promise Me Dad: A Year of Hope, Trouble and Purpose.’ Beau was also a prominent fixture during the 2008 and 2012 campaigns, when his father was a running mate of then-President Barack Obama.
Thinking of @Joe Biden, @DrBiden and the entire Biden family today. Beau Biden was my friend. We were AGs together and you couldn’t find a person who cared more deeply for his family, the nation he served, and the state of Delaware. Four years after his passing, I still miss him. pic.twitter.com/b7lP3TwxYq
– Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) May 30, 2019
While serving as the Delaware Attorney General, Beau was close friends with his father’s current running mate, Kamala Harris. Harris was the California Attorney General at the time. In fact, she has said that she met Joe Biden through his son Beau.
In 2003, Beau served in the Army National Guard as a commander in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps. He was deployed to Iraq for a year in 2008, for which he was later awarded the prestigious Bronze Star Medal.
Beau married his wife Hallie Olivere in 2002, with whom he has two children.
Beau’s death was not the first tragedy to hit the Biden family. In 1972, Joe Biden’s first wife, Neila Hunter, and their daughter Naomi were killed in a car accident. Beau and Hunter were also in the car, but escaped with serious injuries.
Beau and Hunter (NYT Photos)
Who is Hunter Biden?
Born Robert Hunter Biden, he is the second son of the presidential candidate. Hunter has been linked to various scandals, and Joe Biden’s political adversaries have used both his personal and professional life in numerous attempts to sink his career.
Hunter, now 50, has served as an entrepreneur, lobbyist, and member of many international boards. For a long time, Republicans They have accused Hunter of exploiting his father’s position as Vice President of the United States to forge partnerships with companies in China and Ukraine.
During a press conference in October 2019, President Trump even suggested that China had paid Hunter a considerable amount of money for his father to finalize some lucrative trade deals with the country.
Trump’s comments were about a private equity firm called BHR Partners that Hunter co-founded with Devon Archer, a former model, and some state-owned Chinese companies, including the Bank of China. According to a report in The New Yorker, Hunter was an unpaid member of the company’s board of directors and did not take action until after his father’s term as vice president ended. There is still no evidence to show that Hunter had violated any laws at the time.
Hunter’s role on the board of a Ukrainian energy company called Burisma was at the center of the presidential debate. Earlier this year, Trump was indicted on allegations that he sought help from Ukraine’s leader to unearth damaging information about the Biden family before the presidential election, the BBC reported. Later, Trump was acquitted of two charges by a majority of the senators at his trial.
Hunter has been open about his fight against alcoholism and substance abuse. In 2014, he was discharged from the Naval Reserve after failing a drug test for cocaine. His divorce from his ex-wife Kathleen Buhle in 2017 also made headlines. The couple share three children.
Shortly after parting ways with Kathleen, Hunter began dating his late brother’s widow, Hallie. “We are all fortunate that Hunter and Hallie met while they were rebuilding their lives after so much sadness,” his father said in an interview with the tabloid Page Six in 2017.
Biden married South African filmmaker Melissa Cohen in 2019, with whom he has a son.
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In 2016, Vice President Joe Biden said, “This is a bittersweet moment for Jill, our family, and me,” referring to her late son, Beau. (The New York Times: Jim Wilson)
What was said about Beau and Hunter during the presidential debate?
President Trump attacked Hunter when Joe Biden mentioned The Atlantic report that suggested he had called fallen soldiers “losers.” Speaking of Beau, Biden said: “My son was in Iraq. He spent a year there. He was not a loser, he was a patriot and the people left behind are heroes. “
Trump was quick to respond by mentioning Hunter Biden’s business and drug addiction. “Oh really? Are you talking about Hunter? He asked. When Biden clarified that he was talking about Beau, Trump said,” I don’t know Beau.
“I know Hunter. Hunter was expelled from the military… he was dishonorably fired for cocaine use, ”he added. Since then, Trump’s claim has been refuted by various political commentators who noted that Hunter was administratively separated from the military and was not dishonorably discharged.
“My son, like many people you know at home, had a drug problem,” Biden replied. “He’s gotten over it. He has fixed it. He has worked on it and I am proud of him. I am proud of my son. “
Trump also claimed that the mayor of Moscow paid Hunter Biden $ 3.5 million, an accusation that has yet to be proven.
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