Despite Donald Trump’s conviction, President Joe Biden refrained from gloating. Instead, his campaign emphasized that the only way to ensure Trump doesn’t return to the White House is through voting.
The challenge for Biden now is to leverage Trump's conviction for political gain without reinforcing the notion that the prosecution was politically motivated.
"In New York today, we saw that no one is above the law," stated Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler. "But today's verdict does not change the reality that the only way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office is at the ballot box."
The White House maintained a low profile following Trump's conviction on 34 counts in his hush money case. "We respect the rule of law, and have no additional comment," said Ian Sams from the White House Counsel’s Office.
Biden, marking the anniversary of his son Beau's death, did not comment. The conviction, however, provides a positive note for Biden amid polling that shows a close race with Trump.
Biden has occasionally joked about Trump's legal issues but generally remained silent. Whether he maintains this stance or adopts a more aggressive approach is yet to be seen.
Biden hopes the verdict might influence independent or undecided voters crucial to the election. “It helps Biden for this reason: I’m Joe Biden and I’m not a convicted felon,” said Democratic strategist Rachel Bitecofer.
Biden’s campaign has already started a fundraising drive following the verdict. Trump’s conviction "speaks for itself," said David Karol from the University of Maryland. He noted that Biden doesn’t need to highlight it, as it is already significant.
Karol suggested Biden avoid appearing as if he’s directing the prosecution. However, he noted Biden might find it hard to resist mentioning it in the first debate with Trump on June 27.
David Axelrod advised Biden to focus on everyday concerns rather than Trump’s troubles, suggesting this would create a powerful contrast.
Given his son Hunter’s upcoming court case, Biden might prefer to avoid discussing legal matters altogether, noted Wendy Schiller from Brown University.
