Biden campaign warns: "Convicted felon or not," Trump could still be president

Washington — The Biden campaign warned that former President Donald Trump's conviction in a "hush money" case doesn't prevent him from winning another term in the White House from a legal standpoint. 

"There is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box. Convicted felon or not, Trump will be the Republican nominee for president," the campaign's communications director Michael Tyler said in a statement Thursday. 

Trump became the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a crime when a New York jury found he violated the law by falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. He was found guilty on all 34 counts. 

The Biden campaign said the verdict shows "no one is above the law," but it also "does not change the fact that the American people face a simple reality." 

"The threat Trump poses to our democracy has never been greater. He is running an increasingly unhinged campaign of revenge and retribution, pledging to be a dictator 'on day one' and calling for our Constitution to be 'terminated' so he can regain and keep power," the statement said. "A second Trump term means chaos, ripping away Americans' freedoms and fomenting political violence — and the American people will reject it this November."

The Biden campaign is fundraising off the message, telling supporters that Trump's conviction could be a boon for the former president. 

"Donald Trump's supporters are fired up and likely setting fundraising records for his campaign," a text message to supporters said. "That's money he will use to try to get back into the White House to carry out his threats of revenge and retribution against his political opponents. So while the MAGA Right comes to the aid of Trump, Joe Biden — and those who care about democracy — need you." 

President Biden has not yet commented on the verdict. 

"We respect the rule of law, and have no additional comment," Ian Sams, a spokesperson for the White House counsel's office, said in a statement. 

Bo Erickson contributed reporting. 

In:
• Joe Biden
• Donald Trump
• 2024 Elections

Caitlin Yilek

Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.

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