As the campaign reaches a new and heated phase, the political focus of a presidential election mired in extraordinary judicial drama will move this week from the criminal trial of a former president to one of the sons of the reigning president.
President Joe Biden’s son Hunter will face federal firearms charges in Wilmington, Delaware, four days after the hush money trial in New York convicted presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump on 34 counts. After weeks of coverage of Trump’s case, the president is trying to find a political opening, and the trial is sure to be a period of intense personal suffering for him.
A broad executive order that severely restricts the capacity of migrants to request asylum at the southern border is anticipated to be issued by the president later this week. This action, which will be considered as a turning point in Biden’s term and the campaign, will be perceived as an attempt to weaken Trump’s position on an issue that forms the basis of his political career. However, the president’s chances of winning in November hinge on the backing of progressive voters, who have grown weary of his policies, particularly his stance on Israel, and could be angered if this happens.
As the campaign heats up for the first presidential debate on AWN at the end of the month, Democrats will also try to draw attention to what they regard as radical right-wing policies on abortion this week.
The first conviction of a former president and major party contender will have far-reaching consequences, and Biden will be trying to take the lead in a race where the outcome is too close to call. Most Republicans have rallied around Trump, who they think is a victim of weaponized justice; the RNC and the former president’s staff are boasting about a $70 million fundraising surge they say occurred after the judgment. Meanwhile, Democrats are arguing about how to use Trump’s conviction; some want to make it even more clear that Biden’s opponent is a convicted felon. It’s too soon to say if the guilty conviction would significantly affect politics in a country that has been deeply divided over the former president’s legacy.
The Manhattan jury did the right thing, according to a CBS/YouGov poll that came out on Sunday. 57% of Americans believe this, while 43% disagree. Although opinions of Trump were hardly altered from prior to the jury’s decision, a new ABC/Ipsos poll found that Americans believed the verdict was correct by a margin of about 2-to-1.
A payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels was concealed by Trump by falsifying corporate papers prior to the 2016 election. His intention is to file an appeal after pleading not guilty.
An embarrassing moment for a twice-impeached former president who had previously enjoyed a lifetime of impunity, the conviction signifies, even though the accusations in the New York hush money case are regarded the least politically damaging of the four criminal cases against Trump. Given that Trump’s sentencing is scheduled for July 11, four days prior to the start of the Republican National Convention, and the fact that the former president has vowed to use the upcoming election in November as a means of personally redressing what he falsely asserts as political persecution at the hands of the Biden administration, the trial is sure to have an impact on the campaign.
Trump likens the United States to authoritarian regimes in South America
It is astonishing to see one of the two main parties in the nation essentially reject the rule of law as they rally behind their presumed nominee, the Republican, even though he was found guilty by a jury of his fellow party members. This action implies that Trump, should he seek a second term and swear to use it as “retribution” against his political opponents, would be free from party constraints and maybe even legal constraints.
In an interview that aired on Sunday morning, Trump claimed victimhood when speaking with Fox News. “This is weaponization, and it’s really risky. This nation has never experienced that. He confirmed that it is present in South American countries. His demagoguery and inability to accept defeat in the 2020 election are more indicative of banana republics in the developing world than of a fair jury trial, but his controversial comments failed to acknowledge this.
During Sunday’s “State of the Union” with AWN’s Kasie Hunt, Trump’s daughter-in-law and RNC co-chair Lara Trump said that her father had been unfairly treated. “This case would never have been brought to light if it had been anybody other than Donald Trump,” she stated. Now the public can see that our court system is not trustworthy. If this becomes the standard in the US, people are understandably concerned about the future of our country.
The GOP’s assertion that Trump would never receive a fair trial in New York due to the city’s leftist reputation is being rejected by Democrats. Even while Biden has been mostly out of the controversy since stating the guilty conviction proved that no one was immune to the law, other prominent party members are trying to use it strategically. In response to Trump’s criticisms of the jury pool in the hometown of the former president, Adam Schiff, a senatorial candidate from California, had a straightforward response.
Donald Trump and his lawyers had a hand in choosing that jury. Every juror has to pass their screening. In court, he had the same rights as any other defendant, Schiff added on Sunday’s “State of the Union” episode. On each and every point, this regular jury of peers found him guilty. Therefore, refrain from committing crimes in New York if you wish to avoid being tried there.
Biden was seen with his kid just before his trial
Jury selection has begun in the first trial of a sitting president’s kid, which could disprove Republican assertions that the Justice Department singles out Republicans—especially since New Jersey’s Democratic senator, Robert Menendez, is also facing trial in New York. Attorney General Merrick Garland assigned David Weiss, a Trump appointee, to the position of special counsel last year to oversee the investigation, and it was Weiss who brought the indictment of Hunter Biden. Prosecutors claim that the president’s lone surviving son violated federal law by buying and carrying a firearm while misusing or addicted to drugs. On all three counts, he has entered a not guilty plea.
The president has stated his son did nothing wrong and has overcome his battles with alcohol and crack cocaine addiction; yet, the pardon option has been ruled out by the White House. Similar to Trump, Hunter Biden has the right to a trial by a jury of his contemporaries and the presumption of innocence. Joined by his son, the president was spotted on Saturday enjoying a bike ride near their home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, as a symbolic gesture of support.
After the ex-president’s trial dominated headlines since mid-April, Democrats will try to gain more political oxygen for their key campaign themes this week. They also hope to use Trump’s conviction to win over independent and moderate voters in the swing states that decide the election.
The Democrats will be looking to highlight the extreme Republican stance on abortion in addition to Biden’s major immigration announcement. For example, on Monday, the DNC will likely bring attention to a decision from last week by the Texas Supreme Court, which stated that the new abortion law in the state can only be used as a medical exemption in cases where a woman’s life or physical health is in imminent danger. Democrats argue that Republicans would try to enact similar laws across the country if Trump, who was instrumental in forming the Republican majority that overturned Roe v. Wade, were to win reelection. But the former president is adamant that states should have more say in abortion policy.
