Hunter Biden's guilty verdict will no doubt be a huge talking point in his his father's tight race for re-election in a 2024 rematch against former President Donald Trump.

Hunter Biden's punishment - which is yet to be determined - could well be a distraction for Joe Biden as he prepares for the first presidential debate on 27 June.

Meanwhile, Trump himself has faced one of the biggest stories of the 2024 presidential election so far – his conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

As the BBC's North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher points out, Hunter Biden's guilty verdict is unlikely to change how Americans vote in November's election.

Image source, EPA

Here's where things currently stand:

• Hunter Biden has been found guilty of lying about his drug use when buying a gun. After three hours of deliberation, the jury found him guilty on all three counts.
• Hunter faces a maximum of 25 years in prison for all three counts. An exact date has not been scheduled. The judge has said sentencing dates usually take place within a 120-day period.
• Hunter showed little emotion as the guilty verdicts were read out, staring ahead with his arms folded before turning around to hug some of the associates on his legal team.
• US President Joe Biden released a statement saying he will "accept the outcome of the case" and "will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal". The president reiterated his support for his son. "Nothing will ever change that," he said.
• Will President Biden pardon his son? It is within his power to issue a pardon, but the president has confirmed he would not pardon his son for his guilty convictions.

This isn't the end of Hunter Biden's legal dilemmas - in September, he'll face a trial on charges of failing to pay $1.4m (£1.1m) in federal income taxes.

The president's son pleaded not guilty in January to tax offences in a California federal court.

He was indicted in December 2023 on nine criminal counts, including for failing to pay his taxes on time from 2016 to 2019, filing false tax returns in 2018 and tax evasion.

If convicted on these charges, Hunter Biden could face up to 17 years in prison. Read more here.

Image source, Getty Images

The judge in this case will decide Hunter Biden's punishment, but that won't happen today.

Speaking after the verdict, the judge said sentencing dates usually happen within a 120-day period.

But an exact date has not yet been scheduled.

The president's son could face up to 25 years in prison. However, experts have said a punishment that severe would be unlikely in this case.

Image source, Getty

How did we get here?

At one point, it seemed that Hunter Biden would avoid prosecution in the gun case.

In a plea agreement last year, Biden was to be charged with two misdemeanour counts for failing to pay his taxes. He would also admit to illegally possessing a gun while being a drug user, agreeing to drug treatment and monitoring in lieu of a more serious felony charge and possible jail time.

But US District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika questioned whether the deal would also provide Hunter Biden with immunity from crimes he could be found liable for in the future.

She said the agreement contained "non-standard terms" and its proposed resolution for the gun possession offence was "unusual". She declined to sign the deal.

After the plea deal collapsed, Hunter was indicted on the three gun counts.

US President Joe Biden released a statement after his son's guilty verdict on Tuesday saying he will "accept the outcome of the case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal".

“As I said last week, I am the President, but I am also a Dad," he said. "Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today."

"Jill and I will always be there for Hunter and the rest of our family with our love and support. Nothing will ever change that," he added.

Image source, REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

It is within the power of Hunter Biden's father Joe Biden's power to pardon his son's felony guilty convictions.

During an ABC News interview, external last week, the president confirmed he would not pardon Hunter Biden.

The president released a statement ahead of opening remarks in his son’s trial.

“I am the president, but I am also a dad,” he said.

“As president, I don’t and won’t comment on pending federal cases,” he continued.

“But as a dad, I have boundless love for my son, confidence in him and respect for his strength.”

The US president's son was accused of lying about his crack cocaine use when buying a handgun in 2018.

The jury deliberated for about three hours after listening to a week of witness testimony about the 54-year-old's prior drug addiction.

Watch the moment Hunter Biden left the court after hearing his guilty verdict by clicking play above.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from court

After several hours of an agonisingly slow wait - in a freezing cold court room with no devices or any means to pass the time - there was suddenly a flurry of activity at about 11:00 local time (16:00 BST).

The first those in court heard a verdict was coming was from another reporter, whose colleague had been in a hallway and overheard something. All of a sudden, reporters who had been outside rushed back into the room, many out of breath.

Minutes later, a court official came in and announced: "I can confirm that we've got a verdict".

It was another five minutes or so until the trial's cast of characters came back in the room. First came the prosecutors, Derek Hines and Leo Wise, who both seemed confident and jovial.

Next came Hunter Biden, alongside his wife Melissa Cohen Biden and his attorney, Abbe Lowell.

Biden seemed subdued, with none of the smiles we saw when he ran into him last night. He walked to his seat quickly, only stopping briefly to greet a small group of close friends and allies that have been supporting him in court.

James Biden, the president's brother, came in last, and sat quietly on the far end of a row as the verdict was read out, hands clasped in his lap.

Image source, REUTERS / Hannah Beier

First Lady Jill Biden arrived in the lobby of the courthouse minutes after the verdict was read out.

Jill Biden, Hunter Biden's step-mother and the president's wife, has been seen at the trial seated in the first row behind Hunter sitting next to his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden.

Alex Lederman
Reporting from court

At 11:00 local time (16:00 BST), we got word in the media overflow room: a verdict had been reached. It was two hours into deliberations for the day, and three hours of deliberations total.

Reporters lined up by the door, ready to sprint outside after a verdict was announced. We are not allowed cell phones or electronics in the courthouse.

After 10 minutes, we saw Hunter Biden enter the courtroom. Then as the jury was set to enter, the video feed went blank, replaced by a seal for the court. We panicked.

But the feed had merely switched to audio only, as we are not allowed to see the jurors from the overflow room.

The verdict was read fast: the three counts each read, followed by “guilty.” Reporters en masse sprinted down the staircase.

I reached our live position right outside the courthouse and gave our correspondent Carl Nasman the thumbs up as he announced the verdict on air: guilty on all counts.

Brandon Drenon
US reporter

After being found guilty of being an illegal drug user in possession of a gun, Hunter Biden could be sentenced to time in prison.

If he is sent to prison, it is likely he would receive a much lighter sentencing than the 25-year maximum sentence for the three charges.

For example, for the charge of being an illegal drug user in possession of a gun – the most serious charge which carries a maximum 10-year penalty – Biden would more likely be sentenced to around 20 months in prison, South Texas College of Law Houston professor Dru Stevenson says.

For that charge alone, the technical maximum penalty is 10 years. However, professor Stevenson says he’s only seen people receive five years for the charge.

“And that’s for people that were really dangerous, like someone who had already been on the FBI’s watchlist,” he says.

If Biden were to receive anything in the five- to 10-year range, “that would be bizarre and unprecedented”.

Stevenson says he hasn’t seen anyone sentenced for lying on the background check form - Biden’s two other charges - except “serious criminals” like “gun traffickers”.

Brandon Drenon
US reporter

According to South Texas College of Law Houston professor Dru Stevenson, there’s a “50/50 chance” that Hunter Biden goes to prison after his guilty verdict on three felony charges.

“It’s hard to predict, but I think it’s very possible,” he says.

His logic: The judge on the case hasn’t given Biden’s lawyers “any breaks”.

Stevenson says that judge Maryellen Noreika was tough on Biden’s lawyers during evidentiary hearings, where she frequently ruled against defence lawyers’ requests.

The other possible scenario, professor Stevenson adds, is that Biden is sentenced to probation. The lighter sentencing seems likely due to Biden’s apparent rehabilitated state, he says.

Hunter Biden faces a maximum of 25 years in prison after being found guilty on three felony counts.

• The maximum sentence for making a false statement in the purchase of a firearm is 10 years
• The maximum sentence for making a false statement related to information required to be kept by federal firearms licensed dealer is 5 years
• The maximum sentence for possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance is 10 years

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from court

Image source, EPA

While several members of Hunter Biden's family had been in court for the last few days, today there were only two: his wife Melissa Cohen Biden and James Biden, his uncle and the president's brother.

Also present was Kevin Morris, a Hollywood lawyer and close friends who has loaned him money for legal fees and become a constant fixture at his side.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from court

Hunter Biden showed little emotion as the guilty verdicts were read out, and stared ahead with his arms folded before turning around to give a hug to some of the younger associates of his legal team.

Once court was adjourned, he stood and gave a hug to attorney Abbe Lowell before kissing and embracing his wife.

The pair walked out quietly together. He was promptly escorted out by Secret Service agents as journalists sprinted down staircases to get outside.

How will Hunter Biden's guilty verdict affect Joe Biden's re-election chances?published at 16:23 British Summer Time 11 June

16:23 BST 11 June

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

Hunter Biden’s conviction for lying about his drug use on a handgun licence application is unlikely to change the direction of the presidential campaign or how Americans vote in November's election.

His father's name will be on the ballot, not his. There's no evidence connecting Joe Biden to the charged offences. And there has been scant polling evidence that the American public is following this trial closely.‌

The guilty verdict, however, will surely be a difficult personal blow for a US president who doubles as the patriarch of a tight-knit family that has seen its share of personal tragedy and trauma.

Hunter Biden’s legal drama isn’t over, though. And his September trial on charges of failing to pay $1.4m in federal income taxes may pose a greater risk for the president.

Coming just months before the presidential election, that case may not contain the raw emotion on display in the Delaware courtroom, but Hunter’s foreign business dealings and his financial ties to the president have been a source of continued scrutiny by Biden’s Republican critics.

Drug addiction and the consequences of it have touched many American lives. Allegations of financial impropriety and tax fraud, however, may generate less sympathy from the American voting public.

Hunter Biden has been found guilty on all three felony counts after the jury deliberated for about three hours.

The first count is for making a false statement for acquisition of a firearm, the second for making a false statement to be obtained in records and the third is for illegal possession of a firearm.

Hunter Biden has been found guilty of lying about his drug use when buying a gun.

A jury in the US state of Delaware found the president’s son guilty on all three counts after hearing a week of witness testimony and evidence in the high-profile criminal trial.

Stay with us, we will bring you more details shortly.

Hunter Biden and his wife Melissa Cohen Biden are returning to court to hear the jury read out their verdict.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images