President Biden’s campaign is running a new ad in every swing state, calling Donald Trump a “convicted criminal,” as it tries to make Trump’s character a central feature of the 2024 campaign.
Why it matters: Biden has clearly calculated that he can exploit Trump’s criminal conviction for his political benefit — and his campaign is now pouring money into that strategy.
- The ad buy represents a big bet that voters will care about Trump’s legal troubles — namely his criminal conviction in his hush money trial — when they make an either-or choice in the 2024 election.
- The ad is part of a $50 million June ad buy in swing states, targeting Black, Hispanic and Asian American voters.
- In 2020, those groups’ overwhelming support for Biden helped propel him to the presidency, but there are warning signs that some of them have soured on Biden.
