Has US President Joe Biden irrevocably tarnished his legacy?

Yesterday, he announced a sweeping pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, erasing convictions for gun and tax offences and shielding him from future federal charges. It was a dramatic decision made in the outgoing president’s last month in office that has left supporters scratching their heads and critics sharpening their knives.

With this act, Biden has not only upended his previous promises of judicial non-interference in this matter but also drawn stark comparisons to his predecessor, Donald Trump, who famously wielded the pardon power as a political hammer, handing out close to 80 pardons in his last few hours in office, several to close allies. 

Let’s start with the facts. Hunter Biden, 54, has been at the centre of a six-year federal investigation into his finances and personal conduct. Earlier this year, he was convicted of illegally purchasing a firearm, which happened while he was struggling with addiction, and later pleaded guilty to failing to pay over $1.4 million in taxes. His lavish spending on escorts, drugs, and luxury items didn’t help his case—or his public image.

Hunter was set to face the music this December. Instead, his dad pulled the ultimate presidential privilege: a full and unconditional pardon.

This blanket clemency doesn’t just cover Hunter’s current convictions; it wipes the slate clean for any federal offences he may have committed from 2014 to 2024. This last decade has been marked by Hunter’s controversial overseas business dealings, including his tenure on the board of Ukrainian gas company Burisma. Critics, particularly Trump and his allies, have long accused him of leveraging his father’s political clout for personal gain.

In his own statement, Hunter expressed gratitude for the pardon, vowing to dedicate his life to helping others recover from addiction.

It’s a startling about-turn. Even after Trump’s election win last month, Biden assured Americans he wouldn’t issue a pardon.

Yet, over the American Thanksgiving weekend, with family ties likely tugging at his heartstrings, he changed his mind.

Biden justified the move by claiming his son was unfairly targeted for political reasons. “No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son — and that is wrong… I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice.”

Hunter Biden’s legal troubles began in 2018 with a probe launched by Trump-appointed prosecutor David Weiss. But federal judges have previously dismissed such claims, calling them “nonsensical under the facts.”

Not one to stay silent, Donald Trump wasted no time calling the pardon a “miscarriage of justice.” He even joked about whether it would extend to his January 6 Capitol riot supporters. This move gives Trump fresh ammo to argue the justice system is politicised—a drum he’s been beating for years.

Trump isn’t a stranger to controversial pardons himself. Remember when he pardoned Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared? Turns out, bending the rules for family is a bipartisan tradition.

The Biden pardon is raising big questions about the power of clemency. Experts have compared it to Gerald Ford’s blanket pardon of Richard Nixon post-Watergate. Hunter’s pardon is so sweeping that it may shield him from federal charges that haven’t even been brought yet—a legal breadth rarely seen.

Could this embolden future presidents to pardon their allies or family members? For a president who campaigned on restoring trust in institutions, this pardon is a risky move.

Joe Biden’s pardon of Hunter is as much about family as it is about politics. It’s a reminder that the most powerful office in the world is still occupied by a father who loves his son, flaws and all. However, that father severely damaged his reputation with this final act. 

What’s next? All eyes are now on President-elect Trump, who has already vowed to “investigate and prosecute” the Biden family once he takes office in January. Buckle up—2025 is going to be one wild ride in the White House.