SA's Connection To The White House

It was love at first sight and a week later they were married – now Melissa Cohen is part of what will soon be America’s First Family

- Jacques Myburgh

In the past we rarely heard anything about the offspring of one of the world’s most powerful leaders. But in recent years the First Family has become as fascinating to global audiences as the USA’s No 1 citizen.

President-elect Joe Biden is no exception – and for South Africans, it’s even more intriguing that his daughter-in-law is a beautiful blonde from Johannesburg whose family still lives in SA.

Melissa Cohen Biden recently took to the stage in Wilmington, Delaware, alongside her husband, Hunter, his father, Joe, and his stepmother, Jill, when the incoming US president thanked his supporters for helping him beat Donald Trump.

Snuggled safely in Jill’s arms was seven-month-old Beau, Melissa and Hunter’s firstborn, and Joe’s seventh grandchild.

Melissa (34) and Hunter (50) married on 16 May last year, just a little more than a week after the meeting. They said their vows at sunset on the roof of her Los Angeles apartment block a day after he proposed, with none of their family in attendance.

She’s his redemption and his protector, Hunter told US TV show ABC News about five months after they married. The former drug addict and alcoholic faced criticism from the Trump campaign, trying to tie him to dodgy business dealings.

Melissa says the difficult period in politics strengthened their commitment to each other. “It’s only tested our bond and solidified how strong the bond really is,” she told ABC News.

And she never worried the pressure would lead him to relapse into substance abuse. “He’s incredibly strong.”