Midweek Mood Check: Americans split over Hunter Biden

Can you believe it’s already been a month since Election Day? As 2024 speeds to a close, unity remains evasive. This week, President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, proving that, even though the election is behind us, we have not laid the division to rest.

Our latest polling data from Napolitan Institute shows that only 30% of voters support the president’s pardon of Hunter. Alternatively, 21% say they somewhat oppose his decision, while 41% strongly oppose it.

Biden, who claimed he respected America’s institutions of justice and would not interfere in his son’s case, changed his tune on Monday, clearing Hunter’s record from 2014 to the present.

“It is clear that Hunter was treated differently,” Biden alleged.

Republicans and Democrats alike blasted the president, who decried Donald Trump for undermining trust in the legal system, for his hypocrisy and dishonesty.

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“[Hunter] was singled out because he had an illegal gun and tax evasion charges, not because he was the president’s son,” popular radio host Charlamagne protested. “I just want Democrats to stop acting like they are on this moral high ground politically when they have shown us they’re not.”

“Nobody wants to hear what you have to say right now,” blasted ESPN broadcaster Stephen A. Smith. “Because when you pardon your son, going back on your word, telling the American people there was no way that you were going to pardon him when everybody and their grandmamma knew you were lying, [they will] hold you accountable for it.”

Less than 40% agree that Hunter was unfairly targeted for political purposes, while 54% somewhat or strongly disagree. The same poll also shows that 46% of voters say the Department of Justice unfairly targeted Trump under Biden’s leadership; 42% disagree.

Salvaging trust in the American justice system will be a key priority for the incoming Trump administration. Trump will also likely prioritize sweeping immigration reform, although Americans are divided about who (if anyone) he should deport. 

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According to Napolitan, 86% of people support deporting illegal immigrants who have committed crimes, and 77% favor deporting those who fail to attend immigration status hearings. However, just 36% support deporting those who were brought here as children and 33% those who are married to American citizens.

National election exit polling showed that voters overwhelmingly preferred Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris to handle the border and immigration. Gallup reported over the summer that most Americans wanted less immigration for the first time in nearly two decades. That number skyrocketed from 41% in 2023 to 55% one year later.

A border crisis and “weaponized” DOJ may have led voters to the polls, but the question remains: Can Donald Trump (or anyone, for that matter) truly rein in a runaway federal government?

With an Article V convention, we can make Washington accountable to “We the People” again. Sign the COS petition below to join the growing grassroots movement and help us pump the breaks on federal spending, growth, and corruption.