Biden Campaign Launches $50m Advertising Onslaught Targeting Trump’s Legal Troubles

US President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign is embarking on a $50 million advertising onslaught through the end of June, which includes its first television ad highlighting Donald Trump’s felony conviction.

This move signals that Biden is aiming to spotlight his Republican opponent’s legal issues as a key factor heading into the November election.

With Election Day still more than five months away, Biden’s campaign is eager to define the choice between the candidates ahead of their first debate in Atlanta on June 27. The ad campaign allocates over $1 million to media targeting Black, Hispanic, and Asian American voters, and features a spot that underscores Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts in a New York hush money case. This ad will air on general market television, connected TV on streaming devices, and mobile phones in battleground states, as well as on national cable.

The ad, titled “Character Matters,” not only focuses on Trump’s criminal conviction but also highlights his liability for sexual assault and financial fraud in separate cases. Trump faces felony charges in three other criminal cases, none of which are expected to go to trial before the November election.

“This election is between a convicted criminal who’s only out for himself and a president who’s fighting for your family,” the ad’s narrator said, as the ad showed images of a Trump mugshot alongside Biden engaging with supporters.

Biden has consistently criticised Trump’s felony convictions while condemning the former president’s claims that the case against him was politically motivated as he said, “It’s reckless, it’s dangerous, it’s irresponsible for anyone to say this was rigged just because they don’t like the verdict.”

Meanwhile, Biden’s son Hunter was convicted last week in Delaware on three felony charges related to a 2018 gun purchase. The president has expressed his acceptance of the case’s outcome and emphasised his respect for the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal.

A key aspect of Biden’s re-election strategy involves highlighting Trump’s policy proposals for a second term and galvanizing disaffected Democrats and independent voters. The campaign’s decision to produce an ad heavily focused on Trump’s conviction, and to include it in a substantial advertising buy, indicates a renewed effort to make Trump’s legal problems a central election issue.

Biden’s campaign spokesman, Michael Taylor, said, “It’s a stark contrast, and it’s one that matters deeply to the American people, 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 denied any wrongdoing and has claimed, though without evidence, that Biden or Justice Department officials orchestrated the New York case against him for political reasons. Trump and his allies also suggested prosecuting political opponents in retaliation if he returns to the White House.

Trump’s campaign spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, also accused the Biden administration of weaponizing the justice system against Trump, as she asserted that the contrast between the two candidates “will be very clear on the debate stage.”

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