Let the contrast with an “offender” speak for itself: after Donald Trump was found criminally guilty by a New York jury, Joe Biden has, according to experts, no interest in adding more.
The reaction of his campaign team on Thursday, after this historic court decision against his Republican predecessor, was also very sober, and focused on the November election.
“We saw today in New York that no one is above the law,” reacted a spokesperson after the billionaire was found guilty of hidden payments to an X-rated movie star, without going into the sometimes scabrous details of the affair itself.
“However, there is only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: the ballot. Delinquent or not, Trump will be the Republican candidate,” added Michael Tyler in a press release.
The White House, for its part, was careful not to comment on this verdict in which Donald Trump sees the culmination of a political trial, orchestrated by his adversaries.
“We respect the law,” a spokesperson said simply.
“Convicted felon”
“Delinquent”, in English “ convicted felon »: this is the expression that we will constantly hear in the coming months from the mouths of the Democratic President’s supporters.
The verdict allows the 81-year-old Democrat to say “I am Joe Biden and I am not a delinquent,” commented Democratic strategist Rachel Bitecofer.
Saying more would in any case be “a little bit tricky” for the American president, because he “wanted to avoid giving the impression of directing the legal proceedings against his opponent”, charged in three other criminal cases, comments David Karol, political scientist at the University of Maryland.
On Thursday, the American president did not speak publicly, from his residence in Delaware (east), where he spent the day with family.
May 30 is a special date for Joe Biden: it is the anniversary of the death of his son Beau, who died in 2015 from brain cancer.
Wendy Schiller, professor of political science at Brown University, recalls that starting next week, the president’s other son, Hunter Biden, will also be in court, tried for illegal possession of a weapon.
Enough to dissuade her father from “commenting on legal matters,” she says.
Unpopular
So far, the polls show Joe Biden is neck and neck with his rival, even behind in certain strategic states. His popularity rating is low, his age is worrying, and he does not benefit politically from good economic health.
But Thursday’s historic court decision, without him needing to do too much, supports his message of defense of democracy, and consolidates the image he seeks to present: that of a man of integrity attached to decency in politics.
“The question everyone is asking: will this shake the hands of independents and moderates on November 5? » asks Marie-Cécile Naves, specialist in the United States and research director at IRIS (Institute of International and Strategic Relations).
Convicting Donald Trump “might alienate independent voters” from him, “but that doesn’t mean they’ll vote for Biden.” They could abstain,” points out Wendy Schiller.
David Axelrod, former Barack Obama strategist, judges on .
“The contrast would be powerful. People want a president who is interested in their problems, not his,” he says.