- Joe Biden announced a pardon for his son Hunter on Sunday night
- It came after he said at least twice over the summer that he would not grant a pardon.
Joe Biden was determined to give a truthful answer when he repeatedly said he would not forgive his son before turning around and doing so on Sunday.
A body language expert provided analysis to DailyMail.com where she claimed that Biden wanted to present himself as someone who had “made this decision” not to pardon Hunter, despite multiple reports now claiming he was considering the action for at least six months.
“Biden seems like a man who has already made this decision and the decision itself is non-negotiable,” Judi James said of the two instances in which Biden told reporters he was not considering a pardon for his 54-year-old son.
“There is not even discussion on the part of the interviewer, who moves on to the next topic, clearly satisfied that the questions have been addressed in the most complete manner,” he added.
Biden announced his decision to pardon his son on Sunday.
While it’s not immediately clear whether Biden was telling the truth based on an analysis of his body language, James speculates that he did believe his response was serious at the time.
“He was very determined to define himself as totally honest, which in political terms is the same as being honest because he would know how incredibly bad these unequivocal answers would seem if he did the opposite in the future,” he told DailyMail.com.
“This implies that he is risking his reputation on this.”
A body language expert told DailyMail.com that President Joe Biden did not show any explicit signs of dishonesty when he said he had no intention of forgiving his son Hunter.
President Biden announced Sunday night that he has made the decision to pardon his son Hunter, 54, on three felonies for lying on a form to purchase a firearm.
But now his reputation is tarnished and Americans say they can no longer trust the word of the US Commander in Chief, who will remain in office for nearly two more months.
Hunter was convicted on June 11, 2024, of three felonies for lying on a federal form to purchase a firearm in 2018.
Before the conviction and at least twice after, Biden and his spokesmen and representatives said he would not forgive his son.
In an interview with ABC News anchor David Muir in June, Biden is asked, “Have you ruled out a pardon for your son?”
“Yes,” Biden responded matter-of-factly.
“It’s rare for a politician to offer a one-word answer to a ‘Yes or No’ question, but Biden does it here, twice,” James notes.
A reporter asked Biden during a press conference, also over the summer: “Was your son able to get a fair trial? Do you think the Justice Department acted regardless of politics?”
‘I’m satisfied that I’m not going to do anything,’ Biden said from the podium. —I said I would abide by the jury’s decision. I will do it and I will not forgive him.’
At the time, Biden was still leading the 2024 presidential ticket, but later in the summer he dropped out of the race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost to Donald Trump.
Biden said at least twice after the conviction over the summer that he would not forgive his son. Pictured: At a news conference, Biden said: “I said I would follow the jury’s decision.” I will do that and I will not forgive him’
Of Biden’s two denials over the summer regarding his son, James said: “There is absolutely no wiggle room in terms of offering himself any get-out clause if he decides to change his mind.”
“The impact of the first ‘Yes’ to the acceptance of the jury’s verdict is enormous and, to make it even more powerful, it retains an almost frozen facial expression,” he noted.
Additionally, James notes that there is no indication that Biden was lying when he said he had no intention of pardoning Hunter.
“His commitment seems just as firm here,” he notes, “with a similar withholding of his gaze that seems like a gesture of honesty or a gesture he uses to emphasize the sense of honesty in his response.”