London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jan 22, 2026

Biden Wrote the Playbook Before Trump

In the grand arena of contemporary politics, Donald Trump’s newest legal maneuver is both daring and unexpectedly sensible. His legal team is invoking President Joe Biden’s pardon of Hunter Biden as a basis to dismiss the Manhattan hush-money case against him. Bold? Certainly. Absurd? Not at all. In fact, Trump’s action can be seen as a logical progression of the precedent set by Biden's generous pardon.
In summary, Trump faces thirty-four felony charges for allegedly falsifying business records to hide a $130,000 hush-money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.

His defense argument? Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, on federal gun and tax charges, claiming the prosecution is politically driven. If Biden can manipulate justice to protect his own, why shouldn't Trump expect the same leniency?

This isn't just a matter of "whataboutism." Biden's actions have fundamentally altered the standards of accountability for U.S. leaders.

By covering up Hunter’s crimes with a pardon, the president didn’t just protect his son; he undermined the principle of unbiased justice. Biden, who presents himself as a champion of democracy, has given Trump a perfect chance to argue that fairness is now a thing of the past.

Trump isn’t requesting special treatment—he’s insisting on equal unfairness.

And honestly, who can fault him? Biden has already claimed the moral high ground and reduced it to a mire of political favoritism. By pardoning his son without remorse, Biden set the bar so low it nearly touches the ground.

This situation, of course, isn't just about Hunter or Trump. It's about the deteriorating integrity of a justice system that now resembles a poorly crafted legal drama.

When the president of the United States pardons his son for crimes that would send others to federal prison, the entire system is brought into question. Is justice impartial, or is it merely peering to see whose name is on the list?

For Trump, the logic is straightforward: if Hunter gets a pass, he should too. And let’s be honest, the argument makes sense. Biden’s pardon was an epitome of hypocrisy, and Trump is simply stating the obvious. Justice is no longer about right and wrong; it revolves around power and influence.

The tragedy here is not only the double standard but the precedent it establishes for future leaders. Biden didn’t just pardon his son—he gave every politician the permission to misuse clemency for personal or political advantage.

If Hunter can go unpunished, why shouldn’t every leader's wrongdoings be concealed the same way? Let’s not pretend this issue ends with Biden or Trump. This is the slippery slope America was cautioned against, and now we're racing down it at top speed.

The true victims, of course, are the American people. Each time the powerful twist the rules, public trust in the system diminishes further. What we're witnessing isn’t justice—it's a dismal display of political elites maintaining their own rules.

The idea that “no one is above the law” now seems empty, a relic of a past era when accountability mattered.

So, what’s next? Do we accept this new norm of selective justice, where the laws apply only to those without connections? Or do we demand a system that doesn’t collapse under its own hypocrisy?

The solution isn't in the words of leaders but in the vigilance of the public. Because if we let this slide without consequence, justice in America will become nothing more than the punchline of a bad joke.
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