Trump’s Guilty Verdict Haunts Him as Scathing Video Reminds Voters of His Unfitness for Office
According to a report by Politico on Monday, June 17, 2024, Joe Biden’s campaign has released a highly aggressive TV ad targeting former President Donald Trump, explicitly highlighting Trump’s 34 felony convictions.
This marks the first instance where Biden’s campaign has directly addressed Trump’s criminal trial in its advertisements, following weeks of relative silence on the matter. The ad is part of a substantial $50 million advertising blitz set for June and is seen as a strategic move to undermine Trump’s current polling advantage.
It frames the 2024 election as a crucial choice between “a convicted criminal who’s only out for himself and a president who’s fighting for your family,” aiming to shift the focus from Biden’s job performance to a stark contrast between him and his predecessor.
The narrator in the ad states, “In the courtroom, we see Donald Trump for who he is. He’s been convicted of 34 felonies, found liable for sexual assault, and he committed financial fraud,” accompanied by images of Trump in court.
“Meanwhile, Joe Biden’s been working — lowering healthcare costs and making big corporations pay their fair share.” This change in rhetoric comes just over a week before the crucial June 27 debate in Atlanta, where Biden and Trump will meet for the first time in four years.
Biden’s aides believe that voters are still largely disengaged from the general election campaign, making this an opportune moment to intensify their message against Trump. Previously, Biden’s campaign had taken a more restrained approach to Trump’s legal issues.
In May, despite pressure from other Democrats to attack Trump’s record, Biden’s camp urged voters to focus on voting in November as the sole means to prevent Trump’s return to the Oval Office. However, by early June, Biden had begun to openly address Trump’s legal troubles, testing the “convicted felon” label during a fundraiser and holding a press conference outside Trump’s courtroom.
A campaign official indicated that they were ready to confront the reality of Trump’s convictions head-on. The campaign has also ramped up its efforts on social media, frequently referring to Trump as a “convicted felon” in recent weeks. During Trump’s trial, the campaign even sold T-shirts mocking Trump’s courtroom appearances, emblazoned with the phrase “Free on Wednesdays.”
Additionally, the Democratic National Committee put up billboards in swing states branding Trump as a “convicted felon,” marking the first paid campaign to highlight his criminal status. The new ad will be broadcast in battleground states and nationally across various platforms, including broadcast, cable, and connected TV, for the rest of June.
While the campaign has not disclosed the exact budget allocated to this specific ad, it is part of the broader $50 million advertising effort for the month. Trump has capitalized on his legal battles, using his conviction in the hush-money trial to galvanize his base and raise substantial funds, which he claims amount to tens of millions of dollars.
He continues to portray the legal proceedings as politically motivated. Over the weekend in Michigan, he told supporters, “All of their persecution of me and others is only happening because I’m running for president and leading very big in the polls.” Michael Tyler, the Biden campaign’s communications director, underscored the campaign’s strategy in a statement accompanying the ad’s release.
“The 2024 election is a stark contrast, and it’s one that matters deeply to the American people,” Tyler said. “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.”
