Exploiting Trump’s Legal Woes: Biden’s Ad Blitz

Joe Biden is making a big move, using Donald Trump’s recent run-in with the law to amp up his TV ads. Surveys show that Trump’s legal troubles are not doing him any favors with independent voters.

A brand-new 30-second ad dropped on Monday, zooming in on Trump’s May 31 conviction in a Manhattan court on 34 counts of faking documents to hide payments to Stormy Daniels, an adult star who testified about her affair with him.

The ad, with dramatic black-and-white courtroom scenes of Trump, also brings up his losses in two civil court battles, one from writer E Jean Carroll, accusing him of rape and defamation, and another where his businesses got hit with a $355m fraud charge.

“We’re seeing Trump for who he really is,” the ad’s voiceover says. “He’s been convicted of 34 crimes, found guilty of assault, and involved in financial fraud.

“On the flip side, Joe Biden’s been putting in the work,” the ad goes on, drawing a sharp contrast between Trump and the current Oval Office occupant. “This election is about a criminal looking out for himself versus a president fighting for you and your family.”

The ad is hitting battleground states hard, marking Biden’s strongest stance yet on Trump’s legal issues after an initial low-key response.

This is part of a $50m ad blitz as Team Biden aims to put Trump’s character front and center before their first big debate on CNN on June 27.

Right after the verdict — which Trump is appealing — he downplayed it, saying, “The only way to stop Trump is at the ballot box.”

But recent polls suggest that the conviction could sway undecided voters, a crucial factor in a tight race. A fresh Politico poll shows 21% of independents are less likely to vote for Trump in November due to this, potentially a game-changer in a race where both candidates are neck-and-neck, with Trump slightly ahead in many surveys.

The poll also found that 43% of voters think the verdict was aimed at boosting Biden.

One of Trump’s top backers, Florida congressman Byron Donalds, is calling on the conservative-leaning supreme court — thanks to Trump’s past appointments — to overturn the conviction, even though it’s a state matter.

“In New York, this could take two or three years to overturn,” he said on NBC’s Meet The Press, suggesting the verdict was timed to influence the election.

Meanwhile, at a fundraiser in Los Angeles attended by Barack Obama, and actors like George Clooney and Julia Roberts, Biden warned that a Trump win would mean more conservative justices on the supreme court, which he said would hurt individual rights.