Hunter Biden’s pardon is quickly becoming something of a third rail in the earliest stages of the 2028 presidential primary, with few ambitious Democrats showing any desire to touch it.

President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son has left some Democrats fuming over his choice to repeatedly and unequivocally claim that he would never take that step, even though a pardon long appeared possible to Hunter Biden’s legal team.

President Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden is further bruising a party that was already reeling from blistering electoral losses, with a wave of Capitol Hill Democrats criticizing the move as counterproductive to their party’s efforts toward rebuilding public trust in American institutions scorned by President-elect Trump.