President Biden’s campaign is drawing attention to former President Donald Trump’s legal troubles with a new TV ad calling Trump a “convicted felon.”
President Trump was found guilty last month on 34 counts of falsifying business records to keep voters from learning about his sexual contact with adult film star Stormy Daniels. Trump denied the sexual encounter ever occurred.
The ad, titled ‘Character Matters,’ begins with a narrator saying, ‘In court, we see who Donald Trump is.’ He then notes that the former president was found responsible, as well as 34 felony convictions. May 2023 Sexual Abuse and Defamation and New York City Civil Litigation The judge ruled that the Trump Organization committed fraud.
“This is an election between a convicted criminal who only cares about himself and a president who fights for his family,” the ad ends, emphasizing the contrast between the two candidates.
In multiple court battles, President Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has sought to discredit prosecutors. He said he would appeal his conviction in the “deposit” trial involving the Stormy Daniels payout.
The Biden campaign ad is aimed at running in battleground states just over a week before the first presidential debate on June 27 and is part of a $50 million ad buy for the month of June.
“Trump is a convicted felon who continues to prove that he will do anything and harm anyone if it means more power and revenge on Donald Trump,” Michael Tyler, Biden-Harris 2024 communications director, said in a statement about the ad. “We approach the first debate,” he said. “We will remind voters every day how Joe Biden fights for them, while Donald Trump runs a campaign focused on one person and one person only: himself.”
The 2020 rematch between Biden and Trump remains tight. According to a June CBS News poll, Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump are basically tied Nationwide and across battleground states.
The ad is the latest development in the Biden campaign’s messaging about Trump’s legal challenges. In the months leading up to Trump’s “silencing” trial, the campaign did not rely heavily on criminal proceedings, only subtly mentioning Daniels’ name in press releases.
In the weeks following the trial, things changed. The campaign held a press conference outside a lower Manhattan courthouse, attended by actor Robert De Niro and two former police officers who were at the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot.
Former Vice President Biden said in a statement rebutting the ruling that it reaffirmed “the American principle that no one is above the law” and that “it is reckless, dangerous and irresponsible for anyone to say this was rigged.” “They don’t like the ruling.”
This ruling was also mentioned in a recent fundraising email sent by Biden’s campaign.
One email from early June reads, “Here is the unchanging truth: After reviewing the evidence, 12 Americans from all walks of life unanimously decided to convict Donald Trump.”
While Biden’s campaign has an edge over Trump in terms of cash on hand, Trump’s campaign has seen a boost in fundraising since his conviction. The former president’s campaign said it raised $52.8 million in the 24 hours following the ruling.
Initial reactions to Trump’s conviction did not appear to have swayed the race much, with most voters saying it would not affect their vote, according to a June CBS News poll. The same poll conducted after the decision showed a slight increase in support among key parts of Mr. Biden’s base.
