GREENWICH, Conn. (AP) 鈥 President Joe Biden laid into his predecessor and likely opponent in November's election, Donald Trump, for being convicted by a Manhattan jury on 34 felony counts related to hush money payments, saying Monday night that 鈥渢his campaign has entered uncharted territory.鈥
Speaking at a fundraiser in Greenwich, Connecticut, Biden said the former president "wants you to believe it's all rigged. Nothing could be further from the truth.鈥
Echoing , Biden said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 reckless and dangerous and downright irresponsible for anyone to say that it鈥檚 rigged just because you don鈥檛 like the verdict.鈥
He added that the justice system was a core of American democracy and 鈥渨e should never allow anyone to tear it down.鈥
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, was convicted on all counts related to a scheme during his 2016 presidential campaign to pay off porn actor Stormy Daniels, who said the two had sex. The former president as politically motivated, and has blamed it on Biden 鈥 while seeking to make himself a political martyr in the eyes of supporters, suggesting that if this could happen to him, similar things might befall them.
As he did last week, Biden noted that Trump's was a state case rather than a federal one, was heard by a jury chosen the same way all juries nationwide are chosen, and featured five weeks of evidence. He said the verdict was unanimous and Trump can appeal.
But Biden went farther Monday, accusing Trump of equating the justice system and elections. He said the former president was 鈥渁ttacking both the judiciary and elections system as rigged."
"Nothing could be more dangerous for the country, more dangerous for American democracy,鈥 Biden said.
The president made no mention of the against his son, Hunter, which began Monday in Delaware. Jason Miller, a senior adviser for the Trump campaign, seized on that, responding to Biden's comments by asserting that the president 鈥渨ill do anything to distract from Hunter鈥檚 trial.鈥
Both Trump's convictions and his son's case aside, Biden added, 鈥淗ere's what is becoming clearer and clearer every day: The threat Trump poses in his second term would be greater than it was in his first."
鈥淭his isn't the same Trump that got elected in 2016," Biden said. "He's worse.鈥
Biden was attending a fundraiser hosted by Richard Plepler, the former CEO of HBO, and featuring Shonda Rhimes, who created such television smashes as 鈥淏ridgerton,鈥 鈥淪candal and 鈥滸rey鈥檚 Anatomy.鈥 Biden went on to reference a television ad his campaign has produced featuring another of his celebrity backers, actor Robert De Niro, narrating and asserting that Trump 鈥渟napped鈥 after losing to Biden in 2020.
鈥淪omething snapped in this guy 鈥 for real 鈥 when he lost in 2020,鈥 Biden said, suggesting the former president was 鈥渦nhinged鈥 and was the driving force behind a mob of his supporters .
鈥淗e can't accept the fact that he lost, it's literally driving him crazy," Biden said. He added that the former president 鈥渨ants to terminate the Constitution鈥 and 鈥渟ays if he loses there will be a bloodbath in America.鈥
"What kind of man is this?鈥 Biden asked.
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Weissert reported from Washington.
