Biden Team Launches $50M Ad Campaign Labeling Trump a ‘Convicted Criminal’

President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign launched a new advertisement highlighting former President Trump’s felony conviction ahead of the first presidential debate on June 27. 

Key Quotes: In the ad, a voice says, “In the courtroom we see Donald Trump for who he is. He's been convicted of 34 felonies, found liable for sexual assault, and he committed financial fraud. Meanwhile, Joe Biden's been working lowering health care cost and making big corporations pay their fair share. This election is between a convicted criminal who's only out for himself and a president who's fighting for your family.” At the end, an audio clip of Biden’s voice says, “I'm Joe Biden and I approve this message.”

For Context: On May 30, a New York jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Trump and his supporters have said the trial was “rigged,” citing suspicions that the judge and prosecutor were politically motivated; President Joe Biden called this rhetoric “irresponsible.”

How the Media Covered It: While mainstream news sources across the spectrum discussed the ad campaign itself similarly, contextual framing information often reflected partisan attitudes about Trump’s felon status. For instance, while Fox News (Right bias) noted that Trump “pleaded not guilty” in the second paragraph of its article about Biden's ad — thereby prioritizing the perception of Trump’s innocence — AP (Lean Left bias) only noted Trump’s denial of wrongdoing in the tenth paragraph of its article, adding that Trump’s claims of a biased trial were made “without evidence.”