President Joe Biden is not directly commenting on his Republican challenger’s ongoing criminal trial but is still finding ways to criticize Donald Trump through various jabs and jokes. Despite the ample opportunities for punchlines due to the trial’s centering around a hush money payment to an adult film star, Biden is avoiding that topic and focusing on needling Trump in other ways during his policy speeches and campaign events without crossing a line on providing ongoing trial commentary.
Biden’s campaign officials are aware that the Trump trial could dominate news coverage in the weeks to come and are strategically seeking moments to break through the noise. Biden has been promoting policy accomplishments, such as a new $6 billion investment in Micron, to showcase his focus on substantive issues over getting entangled in legal matters. While some allies worry about competing for attention during the trial, many believe that the stark differences between Biden and Trump’s schedules will highlight the contrast for voters.
Despite occasional critics of Biden’s campaign strategy, many believe that he should focus on the future and substantive issues rather than getting involved in the details of Trump’s legal troubles. Biden’s approach to highlighting the contrast between his policies and Trump’s legal battles has been praised, as it keeps the focus on what matters to voters heading into the November election.
While Biden has made some pun-filled statements regarding the trial to provide a contrast between himself and his Republican rival, he has refrained from directly commenting on Trump’s legal issues. The campaign is using the trial as an opportunity to emphasize the diverging strategies between Biden and Trump, focusing on policies like the economy and abortion rather than legal matters. Campaign officials believe that the contrast between the two candidates’ activities speaks for itself, without needing to dwell on the specifics of the trial.
Biden’s schedule continues to focus on promoting his policies on clean energy, reproductive rights, and manufacturing across different states, despite the ongoing trial. The campaign is staying the course that Biden has set for months, pounding the pavement while Trump remains off the campaign trail and falls behind on fundraising benchmarks. While the White House prefers to let the visual contrast of their activities speak for itself, the campaign is sending out messages needling Trump for his absence from the campaign trail and lackluster fundraising efforts.
Both White House and campaign officials are using the trial as an opportunity to recalibrate and strategize for the months leading up to the November election. While there is no formalized approach to distilling the trial’s developments into strategy, officials are closely following the coverage on television like the rest of the American public. Overall, Biden’s focus remains on promoting his policies and contrasting his approach with Trump’s legal issues, aiming to keep the campaign centered on substantive issues important to voters.
