DNC unveils initial billboard slamming Trump as a ‘convicted felon

The Democratic National Committee unveiled a new billboard campaign in Arizona, a key battleground state, labeling former President Donald Trump a “convicted felon” following a guilty verdict during his New York hush money trial last week.

The English and Spanish billboards will be displayed in Phoenix, where Trump is set to hold a town hall with Turning Point Action CEO Charlie Kirk later Thursday afternoon.

The event marks the former president’s first campaign stop since a 12-member Manhattan jury found that Trump falsified business records related to an alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.

It’s also the first time the DNC is launching a paid advertisement playing up Trump’s status as a felon.

“Trump already attacked Arizona’s Democracy once. Now he’s back as a convicted felon. He’s out for revenge and retribution. Trump: unhinged and unfit,” the billboards say.

DNC deputy communications director Abhi Rahman warned in a statement Thursday that a Trump win in November would lead to further revenge attacks against his perceived enemies.

“If Trump, now a convicted felon, wins in November, he pledges to be a dictator on ‘day one’ while pushing to implement his agenda of revenge and retribution, threatening political violence while attacking Arizonans’ reproductive rights and democracy,” Rahman said. “While President Biden fights for Arizonans, Donald Trump looks out only for himself. Trump has always acted as though he is above the rule of law, and it’s clear he is unfit to serve.”

The Democratic Party first appeared to take a cautious approach after the verdict was announced a week ago, but as some polling shows the verdict could hurt Trump, the Biden campaign and allies have increased attacks against him.

Trump and his GOP allies have decried the Manhattan ruling as evidence of Democratic meddling in the 2024 election.

“The people of our country know it’s a hoax. They know it’s a hoax,” Trump said in remarks at Trump Tower one day after the verdict was announced. “They get it. You know, they’re really smart. And it’s something, so we’re going to be appealing this scam.”

In a press release sent out last week, the Biden campaign listed 34 highlights from “Convicted Felon Donald Trump’s ‘Press Conference,’” a dig meant to infuriate Trump.

However, the verdict has also become a boon to Trump’s financial coffers. Following the conviction, Trump’s campaign boasted it had raised $53 million in the first 24 hours afterward.

In total, Trump and the Republican National Committee raised a massive $141 million in May, a sign of how the GOP base has coalesced around the former president following his conviction.

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In contrast, the Biden campaign has not yet released its May fundraising total, though it has led Trump in cash on hand throughout the election cycle.

Political experts have cautioned that it will take some time to see if polling shows the verdict will harm Trump’s campaign. As the head of the GOP, Trump has survived several scandals that have not dampened his third quest for the White House.