Biden campaign co-chairman Mitch Landrieu made it clear the president would not recuse himself from Trump’s felony conviction in the debate.
Transcript from Meet the Press:
Peter Alexander:
Well, they’ll get the chance to see these two side by side in four days. I wanted to ask about a new ad the Biden campaign just released. It focuses on Trump’s felony convictions. It quotes him as saying: “A convicted criminal who only looks out for himself.” Will Joe Biden make the same argument on the debate stage?
Mickey Landrieu:
Well, I’ll let the president say what he has to say. But the truth is, the sky is sometimes blue, and Donald Trump is a convicted felon. The American people must sit down for a moment on this issue. A would-be president must sit with his probation officer before actually participating in a debate. So that’s just a fact, but it’s not just calling Donald Trump a convicted felon. This has to do with his behavior and his character. Remember, he actually filed for bankruptcy six times. That means he’s not just a bad businessman, it means he’s defrauding all the little people who actually depended on him for their livelihood. So the American people are going to see this. When 17 cabinet members and his chief of staff say to you, “I saw this firsthand—”
Peter Alexander:
Understood.
Mickey Landrieu:
– “This guy.” The people who know Donald Trump best like him the least. It’s worth taking a moment to think about whether this person will do better next time.
video:
Pursuing Trump’s felony convictions makes sense because polling has shown they have hurt Trump among independent voters and helped solidify the personality contrast between the two candidates.
Plus, if the Biden campaign is looking for something that could land Trump in trouble, felony convictions will be the issue.
The Biden campaign should not normalize the fact that Donald Trump was convicted of 34 felonies by ignoring it. As Landrieu points out, it is a fact that Trump was convicted of these crimes.
Democrats should make sure voters understand the full consequences of voting for a convicted felon for president, and if Biden gets that message across, it could be a long night for Donald Trump.
