WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s directive to his campaign team is simple enough: Don’t talk about Donald Trump’s four criminal cases, people familiar with his campaign strategy said.
Trump is in enough difficulty without Biden appearing to meddle in his opponent’s legal troubles for political gain, the president’s advisers and allies said.
“Every day he [Trump] is in court, he’s reminding the American people that he’s dangerous, reckless and tried to overthrow an election,” said a person close to the Biden campaign, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the campaign’s viewpoint.
But with Trump’s first criminal trial expected to begin as early as April and the other cases pending, Biden is finding ways to spotlight his opponent’s predicament without delving into specific cases. He is focusing instead on the underlying behavior that gave rise to some of the criminal charges Trump faces while avoiding any mention of judges, prosecutors, courtrooms or potential penalties.
Trump’s status as both a defendant and the presumptive Republican nominee poses a distinct dilemma for Biden. Campaigns are built for one purpose — winning — and a proven way to win is to magnify an opponent’s vulnerabilities. If the verdict in the “hush money” case in Manhattan goes against him this spring, Trump could enter the home stretch of the campaign as a convicted felon — a vulnerability without parallel in American politics. (Trump has pleaded not guilty in the case, as he has in other criminal proceedings.)
By saying nothing, Biden isn’t necessarily helping his cause. At every turn, Trump is telling voters that he’s the target of unjust prosecutions meant to sink his candidacy. He continually names Biden and the Democrats as the puppeteers behind the charges.
Independent voters are a crucial constituency in the election. A recent Politico Magazine/Ipsos poll shows that a narrow majority of independents believe Trump is guilty in all four…
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