The difficulties of Biden they are minor compared to those facing his predecessor and possible rival, Donald Trump, who faces three criminal trials and possibly a fourth. But the special counsel appointment was a reminder of Biden’s weaknesses during a new election campaign amid a deeply uncertain political climate.
Immediately, there is little sign that Garland’s decision will significantly alter Biden’s position within his own party,
In any case, it highlights the unprecedented nature of the upcoming election. Instead of a battle of ideas to be fought at campaign rallies, it could come down to a series of legal disputes in courts in Washington, Delaware and Miami.
“Before Trump, this would have been a very big thing,’” New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley said of Friday’s announcement. “Now it seems to me that it does not matter. Thanks to Trump, people have become indifferent to this kind of thing.”
As for Trump’s “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) slogan, Buckley said, “MAGA Country’s indifference to the actual crimes of Trump and his family has numbed the minds of voters.” undecided and activists or Democratic voters who would otherwise be outraged in the streets.”
Polls have consistently shown that Democratic voters weren’t very enthusiastic about Biden’s re-election, even before Garland’s announcement.
Just 47% of Democrats wanted Biden to run in 2024, according to an AP-NORC poll conducted in April. Democrats’ enthusiasm for Biden’s presidential campaign has been less than Republicans’ for Trump’s: 55% of Republicans supported Trump’s re-election in the April poll. And Biden’s approval rating in the Gallup poll has averaged 41% over the past three months. Only Jimmy Carter had a lower approval rating in the Gallup poll at this point in his presidency, while Trump’s held at 43%.
Garland announced Friday the appointment of David Weiss, a Trump-appointed federal prosecutor, as special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden. The announcement comes after negotiations for a judicial agreement on the tax and weapons charges against the president’s son stalled.
This appointment means that Trump will not be the only presidential candidate facing fallout from a criminal investigation in the midst of the 2024 election campaign.
Of course, the cases are very different in the context of the upcoming presidential election.
There is no evidence that President Biden has committed any crime. Meanwhile, Trump is accused of conspiring to undermine democracy due to his actions prior to the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
FOUNTAIN: Associated Press
