As he gears up for reelection, President Joe Biden is already facing questions about his ability to convince voters that the economy is performing well. There's skepticism about the 80-year-old president's ability to manage a second term. And on Friday, Biden faced a fresh setback when Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to probe his son, Hunter.
Biden's challenges pale in comparison to his predecessor and possible future rival, Donald Trump, who is facing three criminal indictments, with additional charges expected soon. But the appointment of the special counsel was nonetheless a reminder of the vulnerabilities facing Biden as he wages another election campaign in a deeply uncertain political climate.
There was little immediate sign that Garland's decision meaningfully changed Biden's standing within his party. If anything, it underscored the unprecedented nature of the next election. Rather than a battle of ideas waged on the traditional campaign trail, the next push for the presidency may be shaped by sudden legal twists in courtrooms from Washington to Delaware and Miami.
“Prior to Trump, this would be a big deal,” New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley said of Friday's announcement. “Now, I don’t think it means anything. Trump has made everyone so numb to this stuff."
Referring to Trump's “Make America Great Again” slogan, Buckley added, "Because of how dismissive MAGA America is to the very real crimes of Trump and his family, it has numbed the minds of swing voters and Democratic voters or activists who would normally be fully engaged and outraged.”
Polling has consistently shown that Democratic voters were not excited about Biden's reelection even before Garland's announcement.
Just 47% of Democrats wanted Biden to run again in 2024, according to an AP-NORC poll conducted in April. Democrats’ enthusiasm for Biden’s presidential campaign has consistently trailed behind Republicans’ enthusiasm for Trump’s: 55% of Republicans said they wanted Trump to run again in the AP-NORC poll. And Biden's approval ratings, at 40% in the most recent Gallup poll, are lower than virtually every other president in the modern era save Jimmy Carter.
Garland announced Friday that he was naming David Weiss, the Trump-appointed U.S. attorney in Delaware, as the special counsel in the Hunter Biden investigation. It comes as plea deal talks involving tax and gun charges in the case Weiss had already been probing hit an impasse.
The appointment of a special counsel ensures that Trump will not stand alone as the only presidential candidate grappling with the fallout of a serious criminal investigation in the midst of the 2024 campaign season.
Of course, the cases are hardly equal in the context of the next presidential election.
There is no evidence that President Biden himself has committed any wrongdoing. Meanwhile, Trump has been charged in a plot to undermine democracy for his actions leading up the the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.
He's also facing separate charges for refusing to turn over classified documents after leaving the White House and financial crimes in New York related to a hush money case involving a porn star. And Georgia prosecutors are investigating whether Trump broke state laws by interfering in the 2020 election.
Still, Republicans were hopeful that the new special counsel may ultimately shift attention away from Trump's baggage while bolstering conservative calls to impeach the Democratic president, a proposal that has divided the GOP on Capitol Hill, which has long sought evidence linking Hunter Biden's alleged wrongdoings to his father.
Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee, has already obtained thousands of pages of financial records from various members of the Biden family through subpoenas to the Treasury Department and various financial institutions as part of a congressional probe. He released a statement Friday accusing Garland of “trying to stonewall congressional oversight.”
Comer vowed “to follow the Biden family’s money trail.”
Trump, the overwhelming front-runner in the crowded Republican presidential nomination fight, used the opportunity to put his likely general election opponent on the defensive, referring to the “Biden crime family” and the “Biden cartel.”
“If this special counsel is truly independent — even though he failed to bring proper charges after a four year investigation and he appears to be trying to move the case to a more Democrat-friendly venue — he will quickly conclude that Joe Biden, his troubled son Hunter, and their enablers, including the media, which colluded with the 51 intelligence officials who knowingly misled the public about Hunter’s laptop, should face the required consequences,” the Trump campaign said in a statement.
Back in New Hampshire, Buckley acknowledged that voters are not excited about Biden's reelection.
“But they're really not excited about Trump,” he said. “There’s a seriousness around this election. People can say they’re not excited (about Biden). They can say, 'Oh, he shouldn’t run again.’ But the reality is that he’s the only alternative to Trump.”
Meanwhile, it's unclear how closely key voters are paying attention.
A Marquette Law School Poll conducted last month found that about three-quarters of Americans had heard about Hunter Biden’s agreement to plead guilty to misdemeanor charges of tax evasion and a gun charge. Republicans were slightly more likely than Democrats to say they have heard “a lot” about the topic, with independents being much less likely to be paying attention.
Democratic strategist Bill Burton suggested the GOP's focus on the president's son would backfire.
“From a political standpoint, I think Republicans are stupid to spend so much time talking about the president’s son,” he said. “People are going to be voting on the economy. They’re going to be voting on who’s tougher on social media companies and national security.”
Burton continued, “As a dad, I think it’s pretty disgusting that you would attack someone’s son like this.”
AP polls and surveys reporter Linley Sanders in Washington contributed.
© Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
30 Comments
NotThe One
Yeah! Not everyone wants him to be president again! Some Democrats believe that he is too old.
This article above tells us all we need to know! Republicans do not want Biden because he is more successful as president than Trump, he is allowing all the Republican related criminals to be prosecuted, he has nothing (race, religion, sexual preference, etc....) that the Republicans can use to motivate their base to support them (they are not the party of ideas trying to help the country) and he is a Democrat.
divinda
And yet, somehow the rank and file of the Democrat Party has decided without doubt this is the most capable human being in the entirety of US who should continue to lead the country.
lincolnman
What a great comparison between the Trump and Biden administrations...
Anyone here believe Trump would appoint a Special Counsel to investigate Eric's claim that the Trump Org "gets all the money we need out of Russia" or Ivanka's "fast-tracked" 16 Chinese trademarks while serving as Special Advisor? Or maybe Jared's $2 billion Saudi investment?
The American public have already seen "Benghazi" - they won't be fooled again...
Especially by a group of losers that use a Chinese agent as their main witness....ROFL..
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/07/10/us-charges-fugitive-energy-analyst-with-being-agent-of-china-arms-trafficker/70400324007/
Strangerland
So much for the theory that Merrick Garland is Biden's stooge.
Strangerland
I mean, you guys gave him the worst president in the history of the USA in the last election, and look to give him the same opponent in the next. It's easy to win against a loser.
NotThe One
Also, on FOXNews this week. Republican Representative Nick Langworthy tried to defend the GOP investigation into Joe Biden’s alleged corruption—only to end up admitting that they still don’t have any proof.
Republican Congressman Accidentally Admits There’s No Proof of Biden Corruption
https://www.yahoo.com/news/republican-congressman-accidentally-admits-no-212137547.html
Jeremiah
FACT CHECK: False. For example, simply google “Burisma.” There are those who might not find this evidence compelling but evidence exists, compelling or not.
NotThe One
@Jeremiah
Which means you nor the GOP has any evidence of a crime being committed.
Read the article! Langworthy is on the committee with Comer, and he admitted to not having any evidence on FOXNews!
Ricky Kaminski13
Nice try guys. Nice journalism. Just make the short blanket statement quickly, then conjure the T man.
Unfortunately there’s a ton of evidence, whistle blowers, breaches, coverups, suspect situations , dealings, calls the works. I love how one section of the media are attempting to write off the whole investigation as if it was nothing and had somehow magically already finished. Nothing to see here folks, move along. Trump!
These top level career politicians are pros, they don’t deal in brown envelopes, they deal in winks , appearances and handshakes, influence, families and time! Its the nature of the sport by the looks. The ‘no evidence’ mantra though, is just low resolution partisan protection and once the whole story and facts come out it will be plain as day that something be rotten in state of Denmark!
You live by the sword democrats, you die by the sword. I know it’s a hard fact to face , being on the side of the ‘good ‘ an all, that moment you realize that your mob are just as corrupt and compromised as the other. Part of growing up is the realization that you have no right to preach to anyone. Life has got a funny way of writing the lessons on the wall!
Personally think America would be much healthier if both Trump and Biden had the grace to step aside, for the good of everyone. Neither has the self awareness to get their though. So democracy itself has to step up!
wallace
There is no evidence that President Biden himself has committed any wrongdoing. Meanwhile, Trump has been charged in a plot to undermine democracy for his actions leading up the the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.
OssanAmerica
A far better decision than the one made by rank and file Republicans who chose the most incapable, inexperienced and unfit person in US history to lead the country in 2016. The notion that they would let him destroy the country again is simply mind boggling.
Raw Beer
No, not the most capable to lead the country, but rather the most connected to further their agenda. He has so far been leading the country off a cliff...
2020hindsights
Not sure how this is relevant. Hunter Biden isn't running for office.
NotThe One
Yet, you supported Trump's failed presidency and illegal activities.
Ironically, the anti-Biden crowded like the GOP appear to be projecting Trump. Everything they claim Biden did or is, Trump is actually being indicted for.
Zoroto
Every man is a son of somebody....
EFD
The special prosecutor was named at his own request. I'm a bit unclear as to why given that he already had authority to look into anything he wanted and could bring charges in any jurisdiction. But it's done so be it. Lets see what he comes up with.
There remains zero evidence tying Joe Biden, you know - the one actually running for elected office to anything vaguely resembling a crime.
And as as Stranger said, so much for the DOJ being in Biden's pocket.
Hell, nothing can make the GQP happy as they're criticizing naming a US attorney, named under Trump and retained under Biden to a special prosecutor position.
And just to head the moral equivalence off at the pass, if this prosecutor can prove that Hunter is guilty in a court of law of crimes meeting prison, then by all means, send him to prison.
But the so far unsupported allegations are not in the same orbit as a sitting POTUS attempting a coup (among other crimes). Its not even in the same solar system.
And the electorate is going to recognize as much.
itsonlyrocknroll
Tuesday, US election, November 5, 2024 is rapidly descending into a politically poisonous toxic cesspool.
Trump, the overwhelming front-runner in the crowded Republican presidential nomination fight, used the opportunity to put his likely general election opponent on the defensive, referring to the “Biden crime family” and the “Biden cartel.”
Biden is politically exposed thanks to his feckless son Hunter.
No matter how much Biden distances his campaign from the media circus that will follow, hapless Hunter failings will stick to the President like superglue.
Donald Trump has already hinted at a possible campaign strategy march, ‘I am your retribution’ framing the 2024 election as “the final battle” for America.
And then the spectacle of Donald Trump a political prisoner jailed simply for his 1st amendment right to free speech.
Trumps team will milk this for all its worth.
Zeram1
His loser of a son Hunter is the best opportunity/excuse for him not to run for a second term, and allow any of the younger Dems to take his place.
lincolnman
Thanks to the feckless Repubs who demand to nominate by then a convicted felon...
Yet look at all the Trump allies who have turned on him and are cooperating with the Special Counsel to put him behind bars....sounds a lot like John Gotti....
With what evidence - testimony from a Chinese agent? ROFL...
Indictments and convictions stick even harder...
Indeed - more violent rhetoric - which results in this...
https://nypost.com/2023/08/09/man-killed-during-fbi-raid-linked-to-threats-against-biden/
Drafting fake elector lists and storing Top Secret in your bathroom are actions/crimes, not free speech...
Trump's team are lining up outside Jack Smith's office all willing to squeal for a deal...
bass4funk
Yes, there is, audio tape and bank records don’t lie.
-Let’s see 78 counts and mounting
-Trying to deny Trump his first amendment rights
-Trying to not allow his lawyers to have access to any of the most pertinent details of each case.
-Starting the trials around the dates of campaigning next year
-Charging him every single time another Biden bombshell drops.
Coincidence??? Naaaaw
wallace
Trump has three federal indictments. Biden zero.
plasticmonkey
What do they show?
Come on, be specific. And don’t just post a link.
plasticmonkey
Witness intimidation and threatening prosecutors are not 1st Amendment rights.
Besides, Trump is the biggest loudmouth in America. He’s hardly being silenced. (Again with the victim card. Poor Trump, boo hoo!)
In America there’s always a campaign. Running for president doesn’t give one immunity from prosecution. Tough tootsies.
itsonlyrocknroll
lincolnman,
Politics is not for the faint hearted, its neither honest honorable unbiased or unprejudiced, objectives are laced with politically motived innuendo, assumption, did he, didn't he, hearsay and gossip, perversity that in many respects creates a life of its own
The Hunter factor, is a gift to run up the flag poll.
Hunter is fair game to beat Father Joe over the head with.
Yes I agree the Governments of China and Russia will waste little time if Donald Trump is forced to run 2024 US election campaign from prison, screaming political persecution through the bars of his cell to accuse the whole US democratic system of rank hypocrisy.
Can't beat Trump at the ballot box, let make sure his can never runs.
Wick's pencil
Yes, that's the point, Biden should have many more.
Mark
Love them sunglasses!? where can I get a pair so I can look presidential!?
Mark
I think the time has come for Mr. Biden to call it off and give room to the new generation of democrats.
bass4funk
For now, anyway this is not going away.
Well, no one told Garland and Wray to browbeat people.
That is a very, very good thing and people listen.
We will say the same one day, pendulum swings both ways, always have and always will, I mean, look at the Supreme Court, why are liberals so down all of a sudden? I like these people.
Yes, I do hope liberals remember that. Choice words.
itsonlyrocknroll
lincolnman, I think you may have misunderstood.
My opinion is not clouded by the belief that Trump legion of advisors will not ruthlessly make political hay whilst the sun shine.
I certainly don't espouse to Donald Trumps native of make America great again.
Its a rather illogical theory, as America has always had a democracy, not perfect, however a beacon of a nation regardless of political debate the unwavering promotion of democracy worldwide.
In my opinion American in all respects great
To underestimate Donald Trump rhetoric is foolish beyond contempt.
“In 2016, I declared: I am your voice, today, I add: I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed: I am your retribution” *The tone is highly provocative, the message is agitational, can prevail if prevented from the ballot box