President Joe Biden, and his son Hunter Biden arrive at Fort McNair, Sunday, June 25, 2023, in Washington. The Biden’s are returning from Camp David. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found roughly 20% of Americans approve of President Joe Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter Biden.
The survey, released on Wednesday, was conducted among more than 1,200 adults between Dec. 5-9 and carries a margin of error of 3.7%. According to the results, 22% overall said they approve of Biden’s decision to pardon his son. Hunter Biden was previously awaiting sentencing on tax and gun charges before his father stepped in, something he’d previously said he would not do. Just over 50% of respondents said they disapprove of the president’s action, while 18% did not feel one way or the other about it, and another 9% did not know or skipped the question altogether.
Broken down by party lines, most of Biden’s support comes from his own party, with 38% of Democrats backing his decision. Another 27% of that cohort said they disapproved, while 35% did not weigh in one way or the other.
Those numbers dropped among Republicans and Independents, with just 7% and 12% approving, respectively. More than 50% of Independents say they disapprove of the pardon, while eight in 10 Republicans do not support the move by Biden.
“It’s just the fact that he went back on his word,” Peter Prestia, a Republican, said.
“At the end of the day, all you have is your word,” agreed Trinell Champ, a Texas Democrat.
A Democrat named Robert Jenkins from Ohio meanwhile said it was a “no brainer,” arguing Biden was not going to leave office without helping his son.
Biden called the prosecution of his son politically motivated and a “miscarriage of justice.” President-elect Donald Trump had also publicly said he was open to pardoning the president’s son.
