By Nandita Bose
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden’s campaign will target Republican challenger Donald Trump’s criminal convictions as part of a $50 million advertising campaign ahead of the first presidential debate between the two candidates on June 27.
The move marks a notable shift in Biden’s approach to sentencing Trump, following the president’s initial reluctance to weigh in on the issue to avoid becoming involved in Trump’s legal troubles.
“Character Matters,” a 30-second ad that says “this election is between a convicted felon who only defends himself and a president who is fighting for his family,” drawing a contrast between the two candidates, will be shown on all decisive states. who alternated between Republicans and Democrats in the last elections, starting on Monday.
Trump was convicted by a New York jury on May 30 of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Biden and Trump remain tied in national polls with less than five months until the election, while Trump has an advantage in the battleground states that will decide the election, polls conducted before the conviction show. On economic issues such as inflation, Trump scores higher with voters in general than Biden.
The Biden campaign and several Democrats were initially reluctant to emphasize Trump’s conviction, taking a wait-and-see approach to advertising and new strategies. They wanted to see the polls and voter feedback before reacting strongly.
Earlier this month, at a fundraiser with a small group of donors in Greenwich, Connecticut, Biden for the first time called Trump a “convicted criminal” and said his predecessor posed a greater threat to the United States if he won another term.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted shortly after Trump’s conviction found that 10% of Republican voters said they are less likely to vote for Trump in November after his conviction, a significant number given the narrow margins that decide U.S. presidential elections.
Trump also faces criminal charges in three other cases: an election interference case in Georgia, a documents case in Florida and a federal election interference case. He is also appealing the results of his civil trials.
Biden’s son Hunter was convicted this month by a jury of lying about using illegal drugs to buy a gun, making him the first son of a sitting U.S. president to be convicted of a crime. Polls, including one from Reuters/Ipsos, show the vast majority of voters say Hunter’s conviction will not affect their vote in the Nov. 5 election.
There are less than two weeks left until the June 27 debate between Biden and Trump, considered one of the most significant moments in this year’s campaign calendar, and both campaigns are racing to prepare for the first confrontation.
The debate will include two commercial breaks, no props and microphones muted except when acknowledged for speaking, said CNN, which will host the debate in Atlanta, Georgia, on Saturday.
Biden’s campaign fundraising in April lagged Trump’s for the first time after the former president stepped up his joint operation with the Republican National Committee and headlined big-ticket fundraisers.
The Democrats still maintained an overall money advantage over Trump and the Biden campaign continues to have a considerably larger war chest. On Saturday, Biden raised $30 million at a star-studded fundraiser in Los Angeles, California.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Heather Timmmons and Lincoln Feast.)
