Joe Biden gives thumbs up, blows a kiss from Air Force One as he makes first appearance after pardoning son Hunter

Joe Biden was pictured saluting and blowing a kiss to spectators from the Air Force One in his first public appearance after he pardoned his son Hunter.

Published on: Dec 2, 2024, 16:59:07 IST

By Shweta Kukreti

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Outgoing US President Joe Biden was pictured saluting and blowing kisses to spectators from the top steps of Air Force One in his first public appearance on Sunday night after he pardoned his son Hunter.

Biden declared that he has pardoned his son in the wake of his federal firearms conviction, claiming that the Justice Department had “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted” Hunter. (AP)

While leaving for his official trip in Angola, Biden, 82, made the patriotic gesture after climbing the presidential jet's stairs.

In addition, he also gave a thumbs up as he brushed off yelled queries from reporters over the historic clemency grant.

Biden is travelling to Africa as promise to promote a US-backed railway project in three nations that he has pushed as an unconventional approach to reduce some of China's influence in the world.

On Sunday, Biden declared that he has pardoned his son in the wake of his federal firearms conviction, claiming that the Justice Department had “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted” Hunter. However, the outgoing President earlier announced that he would not pardon his son.

Trump reacts as Biden pardons Hunter

President-elect Donald Trump hit out at Biden's move to pardon Hunter by denouncing it as a “miscarriage of justice”.

“Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years? Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!” he wrote on Truth Social.

Meanwhile, Fox News contributor Charlie Hurt urged Trump to release all the January 6 Capitol rioters.

“I think he should at least commute the sentences of all of them and pardoned every single one that was obviously just following the person in front of them wandering through the capital,” Hurt stated, suggesting the President-elect to “pardon every single one of them”.

“There were some that did more than just that. And I think he should commute their sentences and let them all out! Every single one of them,” he added.

Over1,200 people have been charged with offenses relating to January 6. Others were accused of disrupting a formal event on the day Congress convened to validate the electoral votes who elected Biden as president.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shweta Kukreti
Shweta Kukreti has over 8 years of experience in covering Indian and world politics. She joined the Hindustan Times in 2024 and is primarily assigned to the US desk. She currently works as Deputy Chief Content Producer and reports on a wide range of topics, including US politics, immigration issues (especially H-1B visa) and major global events. Shweta strongly emphasizes team operations, which encompasses monitoring news, delegating tasks, editing, developing comprehensive coverage strategies, and crafting engaging, and data-informed narratives. She received the Digi Star Award at the Hindustan Times within a year of joining for her broad coverage of US politics. In 2025, she earned both a promotion and a redesignation, a significant achievement recognising her contributions and the strong value she brings to the team. She has previously worked with the Indian Express, HTDS, ANI and Republic World. Seniors in all the media organisations recognised her work. Regarding education, she earned a BA (Hons.) in Political Science and a master's degree from Delhi University, and she pursued a PG Diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Institution of Mass Communication (IIMC). She also holds a diploma in Women's Empowerment and Development from IGNOU University and a French certification course from Alliance Française de Delhi. If not working, you can find her exploring the hills and engaging in adventurous activities in Rishikesh and Himachal Pradesh. She loves to play badminton, volleyball, and chess, and spend time with her friends and family. She also enjoys spiritual activities.Read More

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