Former president and presumed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump told as many as 6,000 people at the recent National Rifle Association Convention in Texas that he will do all he can to uphold the Second Amendment. And as expected, the National Rifle Association endorsed Trump in what appears to be another step toward returning to office. As the presidential race continues to be very tight, both President Joe Biden and Donald Trump will need every single vote to secure a victory in November.
Mounting lawsuits
Trump faces a difficult journey to the November general election. Trials in three of the four criminal cases in which he faces charges would likely be delayed until after the election, while the outcome of the New York hush-money trial is expected very soon. In a nearly two-hour-long closing argument on Tuesday, Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, emphasized to the jury that their verdict should not be swayed by their personal or political opinions about Trump, pointing out that this trial should not be seen as a vote on his political future. Jurors could begin deliberations as soon as Wednesday.
Changing course
The verdict is set to come as soon as this week. Regardless of the outcome, Trump could be finally relieved that he would be able to resume campaign activities uninterrupted. For weeks, the former president was not able to hold rallies and attend fundraisers due to Judge Juan Merchan’s decision from the very beginning of the trial ordering Trump to attend every court hearing. While the end of the trial is expected to give Trump room to finally focus on the presidential campaign, it also means that a potential guilty verdict could provide Biden’s camp with a huge advantage for continued aggressive attacks.
Aggressive attacks
As the decision in Donald Trump’s hush money case is expected as early as this week, President Joe Biden’s campaign team is considering adopting a bolder approach, NBC News reports based on information from two insiders. The Biden campaign leaders are prepared to emphasize to voters that Trump will indeed be a candidate in the upcoming fall election, regardless of any legal outcomes.
A person familiar with the discussions summed it up this way: “Donald Trump’s legal troubles are not going to keep him out of the White House. Only one thing will do that: voting this November for Joe Biden.”
A killer strategy in case of a guilty verdict
Should Trump be convicted in his New York trial, the Biden campaign might label him a “convicted felon,” according to one of the sources. This person added. “It’s an open question.” Campaign officials are also discussing whether to emphasize this message through prominent supporters on television or through advertisements, or possibly both. A second source confirmed these discussions are active. Describing Trump as a convicted felon could significantly damage his public reputation and diminish his appeal. In a close race, such strategies could prove advantageous for President Biden.
This is the full statement per NBC News:
“The only way to truly stop Trump is to defeat him once and for all at the ballot box and not expect a conviction to play a huge role,” said Jim Messina, a Democratic strategist who was a campaign manager for former President Barack Obama. “The campaign’s job is to remind voters why they already voted Trump out and convince them to turn out for Biden by making this a choice between two vastly different candidates.
“Yes, one of them could soon be a convicted criminal, but that doesn’t matter as much to voters as the issues that directly impact their lives,” he added.
The campaign views the conclusion of the trial as one of the campaign’s inflection points, one at which the minute-by-minute sideshow of courtroom drama has concluded and the time for voters to focus on what’s at stake in November has arrived, one of the sources said.
New York trial has negative impact on Biden’s campaign
Jennifer Palmieri, a seasoned Democratic strategist, mentioned that Trump’s ongoing legal issues and the constant media focus on them have overshadowed Biden and his campaign’s efforts to communicate effectively. She believes that the conclusion of the trial provides Biden and his team a chance to connect with voters who have been distracted or remain skeptical about Trump actually becoming the Republican nominee.
The upcoming November general election is Trump’s last attempt to save his political career and if team Biden manages to secure a second term, that would definitely mean an ultimate end for Donald Trump.
