New Scathing $50 Million Biden Ad That Trump 'Doesn’t Want You to See'

President Joe Biden's re-election campaign released a scathing new advertisement, which social media users think is one that Donald Trump wouldn't want folks to see. The clip, which refers to Trump as "a convicted criminal who's only out for himself," is part of a $50 million ad blitz in battleground states. Titled Character Matters, it marks the campaign's first official use of Trump's legal issues since his conviction for falsifying business records in the New York criminal trial last month.

“In the courtroom, we see Donald Trump for who he is,” the voiceover goes, as black-and-white images of Trump in court get played, TIME magazine reported. “He’s been convicted of 34 felonies, found liable for sexual assault, and committed financial fraud.” The commercial ends by presenting the election as a distinct choice “between a convicted criminal who’s only out for himself and a president who’s fighting for your family.”

A user remarked on X, formerly Twitter, "This is the ad Trump does not want you to see!!!!!." Another user praised the ad and opined, "Let’s go! This is exactly the kind of ad I’ve been waiting for Dems to run." Another echoed, "Hot dam Joe can throw a punch!" Meanwhile, a user argued, "This is the way. It's time to stop equivocating. These candidates are not the same. One is a convicted criminal and the other is a lifelong patriot to the United States. I choose President Biden."

Trump campaign representative, Karoline Leavitt, criticized the Biden campaign's activities as a political trick. “Crooked Joe Biden and the Democrats have weaponized the justice system against President Trump,” Leavitt wrote on social media on June 17, condemning both the criminal case and the advertisement. An Ipsos survey done shortly after Trump's conviction indicated that 10% of Republican voters said they were less inclined to vote for him in November, a small but significant number, Reuters reported.

The ad campaign coincides with a larger Democratic effort to emphasize Trump's legal issues for voters, with several current and former Congress members and state elected officials urging Biden to capitalize on Trump's conviction. Earlier this month, at a fundraiser with a small group of supporters in Greenwich, Connecticut, Biden for the first time referred to Trump as a "convicted felon."  

For many Democrats, this line of direct attack against Trump's felonies represents a silver lining. Political observers believe that the Biden campaign's choice to focus on Trump's legal difficulties is part of a calculated attempt to convince undecided voters. “It’s great to see the campaign leaning into ‘The Choice’...and fighting to make this critical month of June, when so many people are beginning to tune into the election,” longtime Democratic strategist, Simon Rosenberg, wrote on his blog in response to the ad.