Biden to criticize Trump’s ‘character’ in $50 million ad campaign following conviction

President Joe Biden‘s campaign plans to underscore former President Donald Trump‘s conviction in his New York hush money trial before next week’s debate.

The campaign announced its plan Monday to spend $50 million on ads in battleground states emphasizing what it is describing as the “central dynamic of the race,” that Biden fights for the American people, “while Trump only cares about himself.”

“Trump approaches the first debate as a convicted felon who continues to prove that he will do anything and harm anyone if it means more power and vengeance for Donald Trump,” Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler wrote in a statement Monday.

“That’s why he was convicted, that’s why he encouraged a violent mob to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6, and it’s why his entire campaign is an exercise in revenge and retribution: because that man is blind to the people a president should be serving and will do absolutely anything for his own personal gain and for his own power,” Tyler said.

The 30-second ad, called “Character Matters,” reminds voters that Trump was criminally convicted last month on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover-up his alleged extramarital affair with porn star Stormy Daniels, in addition to earlier being found civilly liable for sexual assault and financial fraud, according to the Biden campaign. The spot will air on battleground state markets and national cable.

“The ad makes clear that Trump’s status as a convicted felon isn’t just a label — it’s a reflection of a spiraling and unhinged man who will do anything for power, revenge, and retribution,” the campaign wrote in a press release. “‘Character Matters’ draws a sharp and startling contrast to President Biden, who is focused on improving the lives of hardworking Americans, lowering costs, and taking on corporate greed, forcing big corporations to pay their fair share.”

“Character matters, and the president of the United States should be someone who understands that the highest office in the land is about you and your family — not a vehicle to enrich yourself,” Tyler, the communications director, added. “It’s a stark contrast, and it’s one that matters deeply to the American people. And it’s why we will make sure that every single day we are reminding voters about how Joe Biden is fighting for them, while Donald Trump runs a campaign focused on one man and one man only: himself.”

The $50 million ad spend, the announcement of which comes one week after Joe Biden’s son Hunter was convicted in his own federal gun crime trial in Delaware, will also include “seven-figure investments” on TV, radio, print, and online spots targeting black, Latino, and Asian American voters, the campaign’s largest to date. Examples include “Promises Kept,” a black community radio ad, “No One,” an English and Spanish spot about the economy, and “Protect” and “Thrive,” regarding the importance of the Affordable Care Act for Asian Americans.

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Although the Biden campaign is hoping to use Trump’s conviction against him, the former president’s fundraising has surged since the jury’s verdict was read. The Trump campaign and Republican National Committee claims to have raised $141 million last month, including $53 million in the 24 hours after his New York trial concluded alone. Biden’s strategy does not come without risk, with his critics already accusing him of politicizing Trump’s cases against him.

Simultaneously, polls have slightly tightened to Biden’s advantage, though Trump has an average 3 percentage point lead in RealClearPolitics‘ survey aggregation and a 1 point edge in FiveThirtyEight‘s counterpart.