President Joe Biden referred to former President Donald Trump as a "convicted felon," and warned Trump was a "greater" threat to the country if he won a second term in office.
Although the Biden campaign has made several references to Trump as a "convicted felon" since a Manhattan jury found the former president guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records, Biden made his first reported use of the term during a fundraiser in Greenwich, Connecticut on Monday.
“For the first time in American history, a former president that is a convicted felon is now seeking the office of the presidency,” Biden told donors during the event.
“But as disturbing as that is, more damaging is the all-out assault Donald Trump is making on the American system of justice," Biden reportedly added before suggesting Trump posed a "greater" threat to the country because he was looking to exact "revenge" if he secured a second term in office this November. Biden says ‘convicted felon’ Trump is running because he’s ’worried about preserving his freedoms’ https://t.co/yoRO2xMthw pic.twitter.com/qe9WmUKq94
— New York Post (@nypost) June 4, 2024
“Something snapped in him when he lost in 2020,” Biden said. “He can’t accept he lost and it is literally driving him crazy.”
Biden went on to call Trump "clearly unhinged."
“Now after his criminal convictions, it’s clear he’s worried about preserving his freedoms,” Biden continued.
Democratic politicians in attendance at the fundraiser included Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, Connecticut Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes and former Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd.
Trump campaign advisor Jason Miller commented on Biden's remarks in a statement to The New York Post. “Crooked Joe Biden will do anything to distract from Hunter’s trial and the fact his family has raked in tens of millions of dollars from China, Russia and Ukraine,” he said. “The Biden Family Criminal Empire is all coming to an end on November 5th, and never again will a Biden sell government access for personal profit.” The former president was accused of making payments to former attorney Michael Cohen in 2016 to cover up an alleged affair with adult actress Stormy Daniels nearly 20 years ago. Trump is the first president to be the subject of a criminal trial and subsequently convicted.
On Sunday, Trump discussed his trial saying he was "okay" with the outcome of his upcoming July sentencing by Judge Juan M. Merchan.
“I’m okay with it,” Trump said when discussing the potential for house arrest or jail. “I saw one of my lawyers the other day on television saying, ‘Oh, no, you don’t want to do that to the president.’ I said, don’t, you know, beg for anything. It’s just the way it is.”
The former president also acknowledged time in jail "could happen."
“I don’t know that the public would stand for it, you know.” Trump said. “I think it’d be tough for the public to take. You know, at a certain point, there’s a breaking point.”
