By Julian Jansen
In a bold move ahead of their crucial debate next week, President Joe Biden is leveraging Donald Trump’s criminal conviction to gain an edge in the 2024 presidential race. On Monday, the Biden campaign released a new ad targeting battleground states, portraying Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, as a self-serving felon. This strategy reflects a shift among Democrats, who have debated how prominently to feature Trump’s legal issues in their campaign.
The ad highlights Trump’s conviction in the hush money trial and his significant loss in a civil fraud case, contrasting these with Biden’s character. With Trump’s mugshot displayed, the narrator states, “This election is between a convicted criminal who’s only out for himself and a president who is fighting for your family.” This marks the Biden campaign’s most direct use of Trump’s legal troubles in their messaging.
Biden campaign co-chair Mitch Landrieu explained the rationale on CNN’s “News Central,” stating, “What this ad is about is about showing the American people the issue that’s going to decide this campaign: wisdom, courage, character.”
Trump’s campaign fired back, labeling the hush money trial as “election interference” and pointing to polls that show his strength in swing states. Karoline Leavitt, a Trump campaign spokesperson, asserted on X, “The contrast between President Trump’s strength and success versus Crooked Joe Biden’s weakness, failures, and dishonesty will be made clear on the debate stage next week.”
Biden recently emphasized the potential dangers of a second Trump term, particularly the possibility of appointing more conservative Supreme Court justices. At a Hollywood fundraiser, Biden called this prospect one of the “scariest” parts of Trump’s possible return to office. Former President Barack Obama, present at the event, criticized Republicans for supporting a candidate “convicted by a jury of his peers on 34 counts.”
As the first presidential debate on June 27 approaches, both candidates are intensifying their campaigns. The debate, hosted by CNN, will be a critical moment in the race. Biden, under pressure to prove his fitness for another term at 81 years old, faces a Trump campaign that frequently mocks his age and mental acuity. However, Biden’s team hopes that an energetic debate performance could counter these attacks.
Trump’s unpredictable behavior, especially following his 78th birthday, has led the Biden campaign to argue that he is unfit for office. The Biden team described Trump as “more unhinged than ever before” after his recent visit to Capitol Hill, where he was embraced by GOP lawmakers.
The early timing of this debate presents a chance for Biden to energize his campaign. While Trump is polling strongly in key swing states, Biden is fighting to maintain a narrow path to the 270 electoral votes needed to win. Economic issues like high prices and interest rates are challenging Biden’s campaign, giving Trump an opening to invoke nostalgia for the pre-pandemic economy.
CNN announced new details for the debate: it will be held in a television studio without a live audience, include two commercial breaks with no campaign staff interactions, and feature uniform podiums with positions determined by a coin flip. Both candidates will have their microphones muted except during their turns to speak.
Biden is preparing for the debate at Camp David, with former chief of staff Ron Klain leading his prep team. In contrast, Trump is relying on interviews and rallies, with a policy forum held last week. However, Trump’s media interactions have often been with friendly outlets, and he skipped all GOP primary debates, potentially leaving him underprepared.
In a crucial campaign move, Trump is targeting Black voters, traditionally a Democratic stronghold, to fracture Biden’s support. On Saturday, Trump launched his “Black Americans for Trump” coalition in Michigan, despite his controversial history on race issues. Trump falsely claimed that Black workers did better under his administration than under Biden’s, while Biden’s campaign countered by highlighting Trump’s past racial controversies.
Biden’s campaign is also emphasizing the threat posed by a Supreme Court reshaped by Trump, with the president recently calling the current conservative majority the “most out of kilter” in history. Democrats are now making the future of the Supreme Court a central issue in their campaign, aiming to rally voters against the potential consequences of a second Trump term.
