Joe Biden has said it time and time again: Donald Trump is his favorite challenger for the 2024 presidential election. But the US president will have to navigate the waters with finesse if he wants to gain political advantage from his predecessor’s impeachment.
There are no comments from Biden or the White House after the news that, for the first time in history, a former president of the United States will appear in court, accused of having wanted to buy the silence of a porn actress.
Biden’s agenda this Friday includes a visit to a Mississippi city (south) recently devastated by a tornado, and then he will take refuge over the weekend as usual at his family residence in Delaware (east).
The slogan is a "low profile" about the charge, and "above all not to speak" of the issue, says the former spokesperson for the Democratic president, Jen Psaki.
"silent"
The White House "will remain as quiet as possible, for as long as possible"Psaki told MSNBC television on Thursday. "They do not want to feed the political debate"he claimed.
So far, his successor as presidential spokesperson, Karine Jean-Pierre, remains mute about the processes facing Trump, taking refuge in a law that prohibits talking about future elections.
Everything indicates that Biden does not want to contribute in the slightest to the argument that Trump is the target of political persecution, as denounced by the former Republican president.
Biden, who has not yet officially launched his candidacy for re-election in 2024, is betting on what is known in the United States as the effect of the "split screen". On the one hand, a head of state who works. On the other, a former president paralyzed by judicial problems.
"split screen"
An example for next week: on Monday Biden must travel to Minneapolis (Minnesota, north) to explain "how his economic policy created the biggest job gain in history" and attracted investment, according to a White House statement.
The next day, Trump must appear in court in New York, where his fingerprints will be taken, an indictment will be read to him, and his regulatory photo will be taken.
But Trump’s indictment, which does not prohibit him from campaigning or running for president in 2024, can have a mobilizing effect on his own side, and help him raise funds.
On Thursday, a number of American right-wing figures, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, considered an ambitious rival to Trump, rallied behind the real estate mogul.
An easy victory for Trump in the Republican primary can serve Biden well.
"Lucky one" –
The 80-year-old Democrat has already beaten him once and feels he can do it again. Biden also hopes that in the face of Trump, 76, the issue of his age will harm him less.
"I will be very lucky if in the next election I find myself facing the same man"said Biden about a year ago.
A recent Marquette University Law School poll showed Biden neck and neck with Trump on voting intentions, with 38% each.
It remains to be seen what will happen to the independent and undecided. In recent weeks, Biden has courted them with arguments about the cost of living and defending health insurance.
A Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday indicates that 68% of Americans worry about their standard of living after retirement.
The Democratic president has relegated to the background and even abandoned the virulent attacks against his predecessor, such as the one launched in September 2022 in Philadelphia (east).
In a rare frontal attack, Biden then accused Trump of fueling a "extremism" that threatens the "pillars" from United States.
