Joe Biden, At Fundraiser Hosted By Former HBO CEO, Blasts “Convicted Felon” Donald Trump For “All-Out Assault” On The Justice System

Ted Johnson

3 June 2024 at 8:55 pm·2-min read

Joe Biden amped up his attacks on Donald Trump following his rival’s conviction on 34 felony charges last week, calling the former president “unhinged” and engaged in an “all-out assault” on the justice system.

The president’s remarks came at a Greenwich, CT fund-raising reception at the home of Richard Plepler, the former CEO of HBO.

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Telling those gathered that the presidential campaign entered “uncharted territory” last week, Biden told the crowd, per a pool report, “For the first time in American history, a former president that is a convicted felon is now seeking the office of the presidency.”

“But as disturbing as that is, more damaging is the all-out assault Donald Trump is making on the American system of justice.”

As he did in brief remarks about the conviction on Friday, Biden called it “reckless” and “dangerous” for Trump to call the judicial process rigged, which has been his common refrain as well as that of a number of his allies.

With just over three weeks until Biden and Trump are scheduled to meet in Atlanta for their first debate of the cycle, the president also said that “something snapped in this guy for real” after his loss in the 2020 election. “It’s literally driving him crazy,” Biden said.

“This guy does not deserve to be president whether or not I’m running,” Biden said.

After what appeared to be some debate among Democrats over the proper way to approach Trump’s conviction, Biden’s campaign and the president himself have become more vocal about it. The former president claims that Biden orchestrated the prosecution, even though it was initiated in the state of New York, not the federal government.

Biden told donors that “polls are moving our way,” citing some that showed more than half of independents think Trump should drop out after his conviction. An ABC News/Ipsos poll showed 49% think Trump should end his campaign, while majorities in other polls also believe that the jury reached the right verdict. What’s been happening since Trump’s conviction has been a bit of a battle between the campaigns to define what it means, as the former president has been taking in record hauls of campaign cash while the Biden campaign has stepped up its attacks and reminders of the guilty verdict.

Among those also at the fundraiser were Chris Dodd, the former senator and MPAA chairman, as well as Connecticut’s current senators, Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, the state’s governor Ned Lamont and Rep. Jim Himes. Before his entertainment career, Plepler was a former Senate aide to Dodd.

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