Hunter Biden and his wifeMelissa Cohennamed their now-8½-month-old son after his late brotherBeau Biden.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Then President-elect Joe Biden kisses his grandson as his son Hunter and wife Melissa Cohen look on as they celebrate onstage after Biden defeated President Donald Trump in the 2020 Presidential Election, in Wilmington, Delaware, Nov. 7, 2020.PAT BENIC/UPI/Shutterstock
Last January, former vice president alluded to Beau’s political prospects being cut short, tearfully telling MSNBC’sMorning Joe, “Beau should be the one running for president, not me.”
Beau’s death in May 2015impacted his father’s political path, with the elder Biden determining he could not run for president in the 2016 election while he and his family were still in the throes of grief.
“Look, dealing with the loss of Beau, any parent listening who’s lost a child, knows that you can’t — it doesn’t follow schedules of primaries and caucuses and contributors. Everybody grieves at a different pace,” Biden said at the time.
Hunter has largely avoided the spotlight since facing increased scrutiny from Republicans and conspiracy theorists' during his father’s 2020 presidential campaign. Biden, 78, has dismissed the attacks on Hunter — including arehashing of his addiction and other issues— as a political “smear campaign.”
“Look, everybody faces pain,” Hunter oncetoldThe New Yorker. “Everybody has trauma. There’s addiction in every family. I was in that darkness. I was in that tunnel — it’s a never-ending tunnel. You don’t get rid of it. You figure out how to deal with it.”
source: people.com
