Hunter Biden says Joe's 'North Star' in presidency has been 'unconditional love'

First Son Hunter Biden honored his father, President Joe Biden, in a statement on Sunday after the president announced he was exiting the 2024 presidential race. He thanked him for his "unconditional love" throughout the years, saying that it was his "North Star" in the presidency. 

This comes after Biden officially dropped his bid and endorsed his running mate Vice President Kamala Harris for president, though he plans to remain in office until the end of the term.

In a statement to the New York Times, Hunter Biden wrote: "For my entire life, I've looked at my dad in awe. How could he suffer so much heartache and yet give so much of whatever remained of his heart to others? Not only in the policies he passed, but in the individual lives he's touched."

"Over a life time I have witnessed him absorb the pain of countless everyday American who he's given his personal phone number to, because he wanted them to call him when they were hurting. When their last hopes were slipping through their hands. That unconditional love has been his North Star as a President and as a parent," he continued. "He is unique in public life today, in that there is no distance between Joe Biden the man and Joe Biden the public servant of the last 54 years."

"I'm so lucky every night I get to tell him I love him, and to thank him. I ask all Americans to join me tonight in doing the same. Thank you, Mr. President. I love you, Dad," Hunter concluded.

Hunter Biden, most famous for the "Laptop from Hell," has made many national headlines while his father has been in the White House, including for criminal cases in which he was recently convicted on a felony weapons charge. He has also been under investigation for alleged tax evasion and illegal foreign business dealings alongside other members of the Biden family. This includes criminal matters that the president was allegedly aware of and involved in, according to the House Oversight and Accountability Committee.

President Biden has repeatedly expressed support for his son, a recovering drug addict who knocked up a former stripper and then abandoned the child. After his felony conviction, the president called his son "one of the brightest" and "most decent men" he knows.

Before the president officially dropped his bid, many speculated that Biden was staying in the race to protect family members, like Hunter, from potential further prosecutions.

The president has since endorsed his running mate, VP Kamala Harris, though not all Democratic lawmakers are on board with a potential Harris presidency. The Democrat nominee will be decided next month at the DNC convention in Chicago.