Trump
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has announced several new steps to conserve water and land this week. He met with Ted Lasso to discuss mental health, and released a 500-page economic report.
There was no acknowledgment of the drama that had gripped Washington: the possible criminal conviction of his past and potential future rival, Donald Trump.
There is no set of guidelines for what a sitting president should do if a predecessor is accused of a crime. This has never happened in our nation’s history. According to White House sources and Democratic strategists, Biden has chosen to remain silent and avoid any scrum that could threaten to bring him in.
An indictment of Trump could present a difficult set of temptations for a sitting president who is on the verge of a reelection campaign. Biden’s close friends see Trump as a strong favorite to become the Republican nominee in 2024. They also see him as a flawed candidate that they want to face in the general election.
For campaigns at any level, the best move is to magnify rivals’ problems — it is tempting to talk endlessly to Trump about his legal problems. Legal experts warned that Biden should be cautious given his position. Merrick Garland was appointed by Biden, who will decide whether to bring Trump to trial in a separate federal investigation based on his handling of classified documents.
Any comments Biden makes regarding Trump’s legal woes could be seen as an attempt to influence Garland.
“If Mr. Trump is indicted before a state grand jury, Mr. Biden would be wise to not comment on that criminal case in part because there are ongoing federal investigations being conducted by a Special Counsel within the Justice Department,” stated Chuck Rosenberg, NBC News legal analyst and a former U.S. Attorney in Virginia.
Biden might be trying to capitalize on Trump’s predicament, which could also backfire politically. This will push Biden’s critics towards making more noise about the legal inquiry he faces regarding classified documents.
Biden’s comments could also be seen as Trump’s attempt to make the narrative worse that the investigations are a backhanded attempt by Democrats to undermine his presidential bid. Trump had previously sent fundraising emails in which he made this argument before he was indicted.
“It would have been smart for Democrats to let it unfold and not politicize the issue too much,” Lis Smith, a Democratic strategist who advised Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 presidential campaign, said. “If they jump all over it it gives Donald Trump’s and the Republicans an opportunity for them to claim that this is a witch hunting.”
A Biden adviser said that it was too early to predict the impact of a Trump Indictment on the election. Biden will be focusing on economic issues. He will strengthen his budget proposals and critique those of conservative Republicans that he believes are endangering Medicare and Social Security.
The White House is still monitoring any protests that might result from an indictment. Officials from the White House expressed relief that Trump’s weekend calls to protests had largely failed.
John Kirby, a Biden national-security spokesman, stated at a news conference this week that “we are constantly monitoring this — just as you would expect, especially in the wake of what occurred on January 6th.”
It’s normal for candidates to be indicted because it’s safe to assume that they will face more difficult roads to victory. Some political pundits believe that Trump, who has shown a remarkable ability to defy political gravity, could be an exception. However, many Biden aides said that they don’t believe that Biden will enjoy any political gains beyond a small-dollar increase in donations.
They said that an indictment would not change anyone’s opinion about Trump’s notoriety or how his views have hardened in both direction.
According to NBC News polling, Trump’s favorability rating doesn’t seem to change despite any provocation. His overall rating remained the same after the FBI searched for classified documents at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, Florida, home in August.
“The people who believe he is lawless believe that he is lawless regardless of whether he gets indicted or not,” Amanda Loveday, an ex-aide to Rep. Jim Clyburn (D.-S.C.), and an adviser to Unite the Country. This group promotes Biden’s policy agenda. “Those who don’t believe he is lawless don’t believe he’s unlawful, even if he is indicted.” Trump is one of those rare politicians that you can believe whatever you like about him, regardless of whether it’s factual or fiction.
Even though those closest to Biden continue to suggest that he will run, he has not yet made his candidacy official. There will always be speculation about Biden’s candidacy, even if he doesn’t say the magic words. This could escalate if Trump’s candidacy appears irreparably damaged.
Biden, 80, has been subject to skepticism within his party. A poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research last month found that only 37% wanted Biden to run for another term.
The white supremacist march that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017 was one of the events that motivated Biden to run for president in 2020. Trump stated that there were “very good people” on both sides after the event. These words are what Biden used to motivate him to be a counterforce.
Biden may still be motivated, but that does not necessarily mean he is ready to retire.
Carolyn Maloney, a former Democratic congresswoman, was one of those who were skeptical about a Biden-led re-election campaign. She said that she doubted that Biden would run again after she lost her congressional seat last fall.
Maloney, 77, answered a question about whether Trump’s baggage might cause Biden to leave the race. “He’s cooking on gas, man!” She said that she had never seen a record like it.
She stated that she had met many people who live productive lives despite their age. “You’ve got to recognize that there is a shift in the health of Americans.” Americans are living longer.
She said, “If you look at Biden,” “he’s too busy for death.”
