Tuesday, June 4, 2024
Year : 2, Issue: 23
President Joe Biden on Monday for the first time called former President Donald Trump a “convicted felon” who poses a higher threat to the United States if he wins another term – the most biting attack on his opponent’s legal troubles to date.
Trump became the first US president to be convicted of a crime last week when a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying documents to cover up a payment to silence a porn star ahead of the 2016 election.
“For the first time in American history, a former president that is a convicted felon is now seeking the office of the presidency,” Biden told a small group of donors during a fundraiser in Greenwich, Connecticut.
“But as disturbing as that is, more damaging is the all-out assault Donald Trump is making on the American system of justice,” Biden said, adding it was “reckless and dangerous” to say the justice system is rigged because Trump and his allies don’t like the outcome.
The president’s comments on Monday offer a glimpse into how he and his campaign could use Trump’s conviction to make the case to voters Trump is unfit for office – an issue that could help define this year’s presidential race by pushing Trump’s felonies to the center of the election.
A Trump campaign spokeswoman said on Fox News its “shameful” for the Biden campaign to call Trump a convicted felon. On Sunday, he said he would accept home confinement or jail time but that it would be tough for the public to accept.
“Throughout this campaign Trump has made it clear he is running to exact for revenge. Now after his criminal convictions it’s clear he’s worried about preserving his freedoms,” Biden said.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll last week found 10% of Republican voters said they are less likely to vote for Trump in November after his conviction.
Trump still faces criminal charges in three other cases: a Georgia election interference case, a Florida documents case and a federal election interference case. He is also appealing the results of his civil trials.
Source: Reuters
