Potential impact of Hunter’s conviction on Biden’s campaign
Hunter Biden’s conviction for three gun felonies may influence how President Joe Biden approaches discussions of his predecessor, Donald Trump’s criminal cases. Although the conviction is seen by some as unlikely to significantly impact President Biden’s reelection chances, it raises concerns about the president continuing to criticize Trump as a felon. Biden has upheld the rule of law and stated he would not pardon his son, reinforcing his stance even as Democrats, including Biden himself, have previously criticized Trump at a campaign rally. The situation might limit Biden’s use of such criticisms to avoid Republican attempts to link him to his son’s actions, despite Biden not being directly involved in a way that would affect his presidency. This change in rhetoric could be part of the broader political strategy and narrative as the election approaches.
While most people believe Hunter Biden‘s conviction will have a marginal impact on President Joe Biden‘s reelection chances, it could change how he talks about his predecessor’s criminal history.
The president has embraced the rule of law in the weeks leading up to his son’s conviction, telling ABC News he would not pardon him under his presidential powers and would accept the verdict. Democrats were quick to attack former President Donald Trump as a convicted felon following his case in New York, with Joe Biden doing the same at a campaign rally on June 3, but some suggest that in the wake of Hunter Biden’s guilty verdict, the president may need to pump the brakes on name-calling Trump to avoid Republicans doing the same to his son.
Democratic strategist Basil Smikle told Bloomberg that Republicans “may seize on a guilty verdict and continue to find ways to connect the president to the actions of his son, even though it’s been clear that the president hasn’t been involved such that it would impact his presidency.”
John Malcolm, vice president of the conservative Heritage Foundation’s Institute for Constitutional Government, said painting Trump as a convicted felon could be undermined by Hunter Biden’s verdict.
“That’s going to blunt the sting of the Trump conviction, although how much I don’t know,” he said.
Still, former Democratic Rep. Joe Crowley told Politico the conviction may have been a “silver lining [the Biden campaign] weren’t looking for” regarding Joe Biden’s respect toward the judicial process.
“You can feel bad for the president, which I definitely do, because I love Joe,” he continued. “But at the same time, you can recognize that he’s upholding the rule of law, and that comes to him at a personal price.”
“This will, of course, be a personal distraction for the president, as it would be for any father,” Michael LaRosa, who served as press secretary for first lady Jill Biden during the first two years of the Biden presidency, told BBC. “It’s not a distraction from his duties as president, but I’m sure it will take an emotional toll on the family.”
The president’s acceptance of the conviction may help him by contrasting how Trump has falsely blamed his conviction on political persecution. It may be harder for Republicans to claim that now since the president’s son has also been found guilty of a felony by a jury of his own peers.
“I am the president, but I am also a dad,” Joe Biden said after the conviction before flying to Wilmington, Delaware, to be with his son.
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