Biden Campaign Reacts to Trump’s Conviction: “No One Is Above the Law”

President Biden’s 2024 re-election campaign swiftly responded to former President Donald Trump’s unanimous guilty verdicts on Thursday, asserting that “no one is above the law.”

Trump was found guilty by a New York City jury on all 34 felony charges of falsifying business records, marking a historic first where a former or current U.S. president faced trial and was convicted.

“Donald Trump has always mistakenly believed he would never face consequences for breaking the law for his own personal gain,” said Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler in a statement shortly after the verdict.

However, Tyler emphasised that “today’s verdict does not change the fact that the American people face a simple reality. There is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box. Convicted felon or not, Trump will be the Republican nominee for president.”

The Biden campaign also quickly leveraged the verdict for fundraising. “Despite a jury finding Donald Trump guilty today, there is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office:

At the ballot box,” read a campaign fundraising text. “If you have been waiting for the perfect time to make your first donation to Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, we’re here to tell you today is the day.”

Following the verdict, Trump called the outcome “disgraceful,” alleging that the trial was “rigged” and promising a “real verdict” from voters on November 5, referring to the upcoming presidential election.

“The whole thing was rigged from day one — from the venue to the judge,” Trump said in an exclusive interview with Fox News’ Brooke Singman. Trump plans to hold a news conference at 11 a.m. ET on Friday.

Throughout the trial, which lasted a month and a half, both Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels testified for the prosecution and were extensively cross-examined by Trump’s lawyers. The case, which focused on a $130,000 payment to Daniels to silence her about an alleged affair with Trump, has garnered significant attention across media platforms.

Trump has consistently denied the allegations and claimed, without evidence, that the case was orchestrated by the White House and the Department of Justice. He was fined and threatened with jail time for violating a gag order meant to protect witnesses and jurors from his verbal attacks.

In contrast to Trump’s vocal criticisms, President Biden remained mostly silent on the case to avoid perceptions of interference.

However, the Biden campaign held a news conference outside the courthouse in Lower Manhattan, featuring high-profile surrogates like actor Robert De Niro and former police officers Harry Dunn and Michael Fanone, both of whom have criticized Trump for his role in the January 6 Capitol attack.

As the election approaches, the Biden campaign indicates it will continue to capitalize on opportunities to highlight their message, though questions remain about how aggressively they will label Trump a “convicted felon” and how Biden will address the trial’s outcome. No formal remarks from Biden on the trial have been announced yet.