Hunter Biden’s dramatic conviction in his gun and drug trial will cause more political fallout for his father than Donald Trump saw in his guilty verdict, according to a quick poll for DailyMail.com.
When likely voters were asked if this affected their opinion of Joe Biden, the results suggest a seven-point negative impact for the Democratic candidate in the election. In contrast, Trump saw a six-point increase on an equivalent question.
The results come with caveats. They are not an indication of voting intention, but rather offer an idea of how the verdicts may influence voters’ opinions of the two candidates.
In Biden’s case, seven percent said they would have a “more positive” view of the president, but 14 percent said it would be “more negative.”
That meant a net negative impact for Biden of seven percent.
JL Partners surveyed 500 likely voters on June 10 and 11 for the poll that showed a negative impact on Joe Biden.
The results also showed that Joe Biden suffers a negative impact among independent voters.
Among major independent voters there was a similar negative shift for the president at seven percent.
Three percent of independents said a guilty verdict meant they would have a “more positive” view of Joe Biden and 10 percent said it would be “more negative.”
The negative impact was slightly greater among men than women.
US President Joe Biden hugs his son Hunter Biden upon arrival at the Delaware Air National Guard Base in New Castle, Delaware, on June 11, 2024, hours after the gun conviction by Hunter.
US President Joe Biden delivers a speech at the Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund’s annual ‘Gun Sense University’ conference in Washington, DC, USA, on June 11, 2024.
Republican presidential candidate Former President Donald Trump gestures as he takes the stage at a campaign rally on June 9, 2024, in Las Vegas.
JL Partners surveyed 500 likely voters on June 10 and 11 for the survey.
On June 11, Hunter was found guilty of three felonies related to lying on a government form.
He said he was not using drugs when he bought a gun in Wilmington, Delaware, on October 12, 2018.
But prosecutors showed that he had actually been in the throes of a crack addiction.
Hours after a jury found Hunter guilty, President Biden gave a speech at an Everytown for Gun Safety event.
He stood under a banner that said “Gun Sense University,” but didn’t mention that his son had just been convicted of a gun crime.
Hunter Biden (R) and his wife Melissa Cohen Biden (L) arrive to hear the verdict in his federal gun trial in US Federal District Court in Wilmington, Delaware, US, June 11, 2024.
Hunter’s ex-girlfriend Zoe Kestan testified that he smoked crack ‘every 20 minutes’.
James Johnson, who conducted the poll, said: “Our poll suggests that Hunter Biden’s legal situation may mitigate the impact of Donald Trump’s, and more voters tell us they would adopt a new negative view of Biden in the event of a verdict of culpability”.
“That 7-point net decline compares to a 6-point net improvement when we asked the same question after the Trump verdict.”
He added: “With another Hunter court case later this year, we may see him continue to cloud the president’s attempts to attack Trump over his legal problems.”
Photos on Hunter’s abandoned laptop dated Sept. 30, 2018, show him parading around in barely-there white underwear and a red bandana at a party at a rented house in Hollywood.
The Colt Cobra revolver that Hunter Biden purchased on October 12, 2018
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks with his son Hunter Biden upon arrival at the Delaware Air National Guard Base in New Castle, Delaware, June 11, 2024.
In September, Hunter faces trial for tax crimes in California.
He is charged with nine counts, including three felonies and six misdemeanors, of tax evasion, failure to file and pay taxes, and filing a fraudulent tax return.
The charges span fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and are considered more serious than his firearms offenses.
Trump was convicted in May of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. He is due to be sentenced on July 11.
Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden, and his wife Melissa Cohen Biden and US first lady Jill Biden leave federal court after the jury finds him guilty on all three counts in his trial on criminal weapons charges, in Wilmington , Delaware, USA, June 11, 2024
An undated image of Hunter Biden with his father
A poll taken immediately after his conviction found that 22 percent had a “more positive” opinion of him after the verdict, and 16 percent had a “more negative” opinion of him, a net positive of six points.
Trump’s campaign said it had enjoyed a fundraising bonanza in the hours after his verdict.
On Tuesday, a jury in Wilmington, Delaware, unanimously convicted Hunter Biden of two counts of lying on a federal government form to purchase a gun and one count of possessing the firearm while abusing drugs.
Jurors deliberated for less than three hours after a trial that lasted more than a week.
An image presented as evidence by the prosecution in the Hunter Biden trial
The prosecution presented images of drug use.
The gun store in Wilmington, Delaware, where Hunter Biden bought a gun in 2018
It was the first time the son of a sitting U.S. president was convicted of a federal crime.
Hunter could now face a maximum of 25 years in prison.
In a statement, Joe Biden said: “I’m the president, but I’m also a dad.” Many families who have had loved ones struggle with addiction understand the feeling of pride in seeing someone you love come out on the other side and be so strong and resilient in recovery.
“I will accept the outcome of this case and continue to respect the judicial process while Hunter considers an appeal.”
