Family photos hide imperfections.
The Trumps and Bidens have posed for several snapshots during the 2020 presidential campaign, but they have not been able to hide the cracks that put them at the center of controversy: conflicts of interest, drugs, tragedies and envy.
On the one hand there are the Trumps, whom the United States already knew before they moved to the White House because of their appearances on television, a media family that in the last four years has confirmed the eccentricity of their clan and has shown the power struggles between its members.
More discreet have been the Bidens, old acquaintances of Washington who in the eight years of the vice presidency alongside Barack Obama remained almost anonymous, but who in recent months have attracted attention for their personal lives and tragedies.
Joe Biden has told in several interviews how difficult it has been for him to overcome the death of his eldest son, Beau, a former Delaware attorney general who died in 2015 of a brain tumor at age 46.
"Beau should be running for the presidency," he said through tears on a live TV show during the primaries.
The story of Biden's losses begins several decades ago when his first wife, Neilia, and their 13-month-old daughter Naomi were killed in a car accident.
Along with them were also the two boys, Beau and Hunter.
They survived and became closer to their father, who after the tragedy thought about leaving his incipient political career.
A couple of years later his brother introduced him to a young English teacher: Jill Jacobs, who took two years and five proposals to marry Biden.
Their daughter, Ashley, is an activist and philanthropist who promotes fair trade and maintains a low public profile.
The memory of Beau can only enrage Biden if his name comes out of Donald Trump's mouth.
But the president's remarks toward the Biden family are primarily toward the Democrat's second son: Hunter.
The 50-year-old lawyer has a drug history for which he was expelled from the military, but he has become a target for the Republican campaign because of his relationship with the Ukrainian gas firm Burisma.
Hunter Biden was invited to be part of the Board of Directors of the firm, when his father was vice president of the United States, and Trump has accused him of taking advantage of his father's position to do business.
“I am a Biden and my father has never suggested that the public profile of the family be my priority.
The priority has always been clear to him and me: never run from problems, "Hunter told
Vanity Fair
magazine
last year.
Biden's second son was also embroiled in controversy when he announced his relationship with his brother Beau's widow, Hallie, with whom he only dated for a year.
More controversial have been the Trumps who, like the patriarch, have been used to breaking the mold in full view of everyone: Ivanka, Donald Jr., Eric, Tiffany and Barron.
In recent weeks, Ivanka has been seen campaigning in key states.
She and husband, Jared Kushner, moved to Washington to work in the White House as advisers to Trump.
Although the conflict of interest is clear, the president has suggested on several occasions that the eldest of his daughters could have a political career in the future.
Kushner, for his part, has devoted himself to doing a good part of the Administration's Foreign Policy, with a special focus on the Middle East.
While Eric Trump is dedicated to managing the real estate companies of the president, Donald Jr., who had tried to stay away from his father, has been opening a hole almost like his unofficial spokesperson, at the hands of his girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle , a former
Fox
network
anchor
who now manages the Republican's campaign finances.
Donald Jr.'s mother, Ivana, recounted in her memoirs that she proposed to name her first son after the tycoon and that he initially refused.
"You can not do that.
What if he turns out to be a loser? ”He said.
The minors are Tiffany, a lawyer recently graduated from Georgetown University and who hardly visits the White House, daughter of the Republican's marriage to actress Marla Maples; and Barron, the teenager who has grown up as far from the spotlight as possible at the request of his mother, and first lady, Melania Trump. The also former model, of Slovenian origin, has become one of the points of greatest attention close to the president for his slights. Melania met Trump in 2001 and married him four years later. The couple was controversial from the start. "Smile, dear. You are beautiful and rich, "Trump said after celebrating their marriage. The first lady is unknown and has rarely revealed her opinions, although at times she is uncomfortable with Trump. The mystery has recently been revealed by a former collaborator who audio-recorded a conversation in which the first lady acknowledges that she is bored with the tasks of the presidential residence: “I'm breaking my ass to do Christmas things at the White House. Nobody gives a damn about Christmas and decorations! ”, He was heard saying in the recording.
