Biden campaign to launch $50M ad blitz on Trump’s conviction

President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign is investing $50 million through the end of June, including its first television ad highlighting Donald Trump’s felony conviction. This move suggests that the Democratic incumbent aims to emphasize his Republican opponent’s legal troubles as a significant issue leading up to November.

Despite Election Day being over five months away, President Biden’s campaign wants to clarify the distinctions between the candidates before their first debate in Atlanta on June 27.

The ad campaign includes over $1 million targeted at reaching Black, Hispanic, and Asian American voters, with a focus on Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts in a New York hush money case. It will run on general market television, connected TV on various streaming devices and cellphones in battleground states, as well as on national cable.

Aside from Trump’s criminal conviction, the ad titled “Character Matters” also mentions the former president’s liability for sexual assault and financial fraud in separate cases. Trump also faces felony charges in three other criminal cases, which might not go to trial before the November election.

The narrator of the ad states, “This election is between a convicted criminal who’s only out for himself and a president who’s fighting for your family,” over visuals of a Trump mug shot and President Biden high-fiving supporters.

President Biden has frequently referred to Trump’s 34 felony convictions while condemning the former president’s claims that the case was politically motivated. President Biden argues that it’s irresponsible to suggest the verdict was rigged just because someone disagrees with it.

A key aspect of President Biden’s reelection strategy is highlighting Trump’s policy proposals for a potential second term and mobilizing disenchanted Democrats and independent voters. The decision to feature Trump’s conviction prominently in a substantial advertising campaign reflects a new effort to make Trump’s legal issues a focal point in the election, a strategy President Biden’s team had previously avoided.

“It’s a stark contrast, and it’s one that matters deeply to the American people,” said Biden campaign spokesman Michael Taylor. “And it’s why we will make sure that every single day we are reminding voters about how Joe Biden is fighting for them, while Donald Trump runs a campaign focused on one man and one man only: himself.”

Trump has refuted any wrongdoing and claimed, without evidence, that the New York case against him was politically motivated by President Biden or Justice Department officials. He and his supporters have even suggested the possibility of retaliating against political opponents if he returns to the White House.

Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt alleged that the Biden administration had “weaponized the justice system against President Trump” and highlighted the contrast between the candidates, indicating it would be evident during debates.