Recently, Donald Trump became the first former US President to be convicted of a felony after he was found guilty in a New York court of falsifying business records related to hush money payments during the lead-up to the 2016 election.
On Tuesday, Joe Biden’s son Hunter was convicted under the same justice system rules, which has caused some in the news media to assert that any claims of unfair persecution that Trump likes to make are now moot.
Blow to Trump
During a segment on “MSNBC Reports” reacting to the conviction of Hunter Biden on federal charges, NBC political analyst Chuck Todd asserted the verdict is a “big blow” to Trump.
“But, politically, this is a big blow to Trump, and that’s – I think – if you’re looking for just political fallout, he’s trying so hard to create this weaponization – and this has been a Republican talking point for so long,” said Todd.
Waving Away Conviction
Todd thinks there’s a possibility of real political fallout for the Trump team after the Justice Department secured a conviction of the sitting president’s son. It may make it harder for Trump to convince the public of unfairness in his own case if another exists on the opposite political side.
“I think it really damages the Trump campaign’s ability to just wave away their conviction,” Todd told to NBC anchor Ana Cabrera.
Critic of Trump
Todd has voiced criticisms of Trump before. In the wake of Trump’s win in 2016, Todd gave his impression of a Trump presidential term.
“Trump presidency in a nutshell? aides go rogue, principle on unhinged/unsubstantiated rant. Both give cover to bigger story (biz conflicts),” Todd wrote in 2016 on Twitter, now X.
Persecution Narrative
A CNN story by Stephen Collinson on Wednesday ran with the headline “Hunter Biden conviction shatters Trump’s persecution narrative.”
The piece elaborates on how the recent Hunter Biden verdict seemingly contradicts Trump’s claim that the court cases against him are partisan political prosecutions by a Justice Department that is out to get him.
Unbiased Justice Department
The CNN piece quotes Michael Zeldin, a former senior Justice Department official and federal prosecutor, who feels like this ruling is a testament to the unbiased nature of the Justice Department.
“So much for the weaponization of the Justice Department to go after just the enemies of the other side,” said Zeldin. “This is testament to the fact the Justice Department under (Attorney General Merrick) Garland is trying its very best to steer straight down the middle as it should and bring people to trial that it thinks are worthy of prosecution.”
Contradicting the Core Message
Collinson wrote in the CNN piece that “The Hunter Biden verdict also contradicted the central rationale of Trump’s multiple legal defenses in his four criminal cases, several civil matters and his entire presidential campaign. This is the false notion that he is a victim of a weaponized legal system by a Justice Department that exclusively targets Republicans.”
This sentiment is echoed in an NBC piece with the headline “Hunter Biden’s guilty verdict upends a core Trump message.”
Trump Out For Revenge
During his trial, Trump has consistently maintained the position that he has been unfairly targeted by his political enemies, and was likely hoping to use that justification to enact revenge if he gets into office.
“Sometimes revenge can be justified,” Trump told TV psychologist Phil McGraw. “I have to be honest. You know, sometimes it can. I would have every right to go after them.”
Trump’s Accusation
Former President Donald Trump has long blasted the hush money trial against him as a “witch hunt” that is being done with “coordination with Washington.”
“This trial has been nothing more than a distraction from the real crimes of the Biden Crime Family, which has raked in tens of millions of dollars from China, Russia and Ukraine,” the Trump campaign said in a statement to CNN. “Crooked Joe Biden’s reign over the Biden Family Criminal Empire is all coming to an end on November 5th, and never again will a Biden sell government access for personal profit.”
Conservative Reaction
Trump allies like Vivek Ramaswamy are attempting to pivot the narrative around the Hunter Biden conviction to still maintain the talking point that the Justice Department is corrupt.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the Hunter Biden trial was a sham. It’s a smoke screen to legitimize the Trump conviction & to deflect attention from the Biden family’s actual likely crimes: selling off our foreign policy to make their family rich. Don’t fall for it,” said Ramaswamy in an X post.
Illusion of No Bias
A sentiment shared among Biden critics following the news of Hunter’s conviction is that it was merely a distraction to allow Biden’s real misdeeds to slip under the radar while attempting to create an illusion of fairness in the mind of the public.
“[The trial] was to: 1. Distract from the Biden families FARA violations 2. Create the illusion the DOJ isn’t biased and Trump’s trial wasn’t political and most importantly 3. Justify Trump doing jail time,” wrote X user JD Sharp.
Appearing Balanced
It seems that the conservative talking point to counter the narrative that Trump’s persecution accusation has been defeated will be to accuse the Hunter Biden trial of being fake and for political theater.
“Hunter Biden guilty. Yawn,” wrote conservative talk show host Charlie Kirk on X. “The true crimes of the Biden Crime Family remain untouched. This is a fake trial trying to make the Justice system appear ‘balanced.’ Don’t fall for it.”
