Is this a case of buyer's remorse? Of course not. President Joe Biden proved he was the right candidate for 2020 when he garnered a record 81 million votes. But in the vein of all of those "this is just about a father who loves his son very much" pieces we've been reading, Axios looks at Biden's decision to run even with all of the problems in his family. Just think: We wouldn't have Hunter's laptop or Ashley's diary if Biden hadn't chosen to run.

"Trials reveal depths of Bidens' family tragedy." Yeah, like fathering a daughter you refuse to meet and forbidding her for using your name … that kind of family tragedy.

New: the recent trials involving Hunter and Ashley Biden reveal the tumult roiling the family when Biden ran in 2019, making some aides torn about if he should have run at all.

My look at how his historic presidency has doubled as a family tragedyhttps://t.co/zJjFo2tVDE

— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) June 17, 2024

"My look at how his historic presidency has doubled as a family tragedy." Give us a break, a Biden would say.

It has affected the president: Aides know to tiptoe around him when there's bad family news, and he's often angry or distracted about the legal and political attacks on them, per 5 ppl familiar w/ the dynamic.

— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) June 17, 2024

His family's struggles — along w/ the still raw grief over his son Beau — can manifest w/ tears and an "impenetrable sadness," 1 person close to him said.

It's all led Biden to rely more heavily on those he's known the longest — creating a protective inner circle around him.

— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) June 17, 2024

Remember when CBS Major Garrett told us that Hunter's guilty verdict was painful for the nation? "This is a tragedy for the Biden family precipitated in large measure by the death of Beau Biden," Garrett claimed, bringing up Beau even before the president did for a change.

This was the state of the Biden family when he ran for president in 2020:
both of his adult children were struggling w/ addiction to drugs
Hallie Biden had only just gotten sober from crack cocaine
Her 2 school-age children went through a period when both of the adults in the… pic.twitter.com/nBu6QcTtj0

— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) June 17, 2024

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"… went through a period when both of the adults in the home were addicts."

Hunter's troubles have been well-aired, but Ashley Biden also has paid a heavy price under the glare of the presidential spotlight as she left behind her rehab diary which was later stolen and published on a right-wing site.
In a letter in April during the woman’s criminal…

— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) June 17, 2024

"… during the woman’s criminal trial, Ashley wrote: 'I will forever have to deal with the fact that my personal journal can be viewed online…The despair I have often felt will never truly go away.'"

The diary includes convos w/ Joe Biden. After a relapse in July of 2019d
"My dad cried on the phone, saying he has the debate in a week + 'now has to worry about you.' And he cried. Maybe he knows what he is doing + it's worked but my feelings of guilt often are overwhelming." pic.twitter.com/6MR1O7bIod

— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) June 17, 2024

The diary included showers with Joe Biden, not just conversations. And she admitted it was real by taking the case to court. 

Neither Ashley nor Hunter wanted to be the reason their father didn't run — and they encouraged him to do so. So did Jill.

Val Biden had serious doubts, she later wrote.

"I didn't want the family to go through it. I was worried the family couldn't go through it.”

— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) June 17, 2024

Dr. Jill encouraged him to run? No way!

Biden aides could tell that members of the family were struggling during the 2020 campaign, and that Biden's mood could be greatly affected by it.

They noted it was strange to have Biden's grandchildren on the campaign trail, but rarely if ever their parents.

— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) June 17, 2024

"What if?" questions hung over Hunter's trial in Delaware, even with some Biden aides. Among them: What if Joe Biden hadn't run for president when his family was in turmoil?

No laptop, no diary, no special counsel. pic.twitter.com/8Ewva1VtaI

— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) June 17, 2024

There wouldn't have been a special counsel if he hadn't willfully retained boxes of classified documents in his garage and basement … but he still got away with it.

Val also wrote in her book that Boehner pushed her to advise Joe not to run.
"They will eat him alive. Politics now is a blood sport," she recalls him saying.
"But Jill, Hunter, Ashley, and the grandchildren all wanted him to run," she writes, noting her husband said the same. pic.twitter.com/BSRfuFBj1j

— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) June 17, 2024

It's not a story about a family being corrupt … it's the story of a family tragedy and a father's love keeping that family together.

Not so sure her problems stem from *checks your purposefully obtuse post*

"the glare of the presidential spotlight..."

— Heather Champion (@winningatmylife) June 17, 2024

So does that mean she did shower with Joe?

— Ex Dr. BuzzFeed Reporter 🌹🏳️‍⚧️ (@BuzzfeedEx) June 17, 2024

Oh so its a real diary? Any interesting passages?

— Ragnar+ (@RagnarDanneskj1) June 17, 2024

“Left behind” does not equal “stolen” 🤡🤡🤡

— Jack Daley (@jackDaleyDCLA) June 17, 2024

Still haven’t figured out how to steal abandoned property. I’ll have to check on that.

— Illegal Smile (@MattpLange) June 17, 2024

It's a story of addiction, which has touched so many American families. Maybe Biden should have decided not to run considering all of the family baggage he was carrying. But he knew he had to stop Donald Trump. 

Funny the piece doesn't mention anything about all of those shell companies and foreign payments that came up in the impeachment inquiry. We wouldn't know about those either.

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