For most Americans, Tuesday was another summer day.
Those in the south and east faced blistering heat, while some endured thunderstorms.
The day was quite different for two men in particular, in so many ways from one another.
Joe Biden and Donald Trump Have Very Different Summer Plans
President Joe Biden reportedly dined out with First Lady Jill Biden and caught a screening of the summer blockbuster “Oppenheimer” as part of his annual summer break.
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump faced an indictment on charges stemming from the January 6 investigation.
As CNN reported, “‘The United States of America v. Donald J. Trump’ instantly became one of the most consequential documents in American history. Tuesday’s 45-page indictment took the country to an unprecedented, profound and even tragic place.” The news outlet noted that this is the first time in U.S. history that a former president could be put on trial for trying to destroy its democratic system.
In true Trump fashion, the former president responded to this third indictment leveled against him as a political witch hunt and offered thanks to his supporters.
“THANK YOU TO EVERYONE!!! I HAVE NEVER HAD SO MUCH SUPPORT ON ANYTHING BEFORE. THIS UNPRECEDENTED INDICTMENT OF A FORMER (HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL!) PRESIDENT, & THE LEADING CANDIDATE, BY FAR, IN BOTH THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND THE 2024 GENERAL ELECTION, HAS AWOKEN THE WORLD TO THE CORRUPTION, SCANDAL, & FAILURE THAT HAS TAKEN PLACE IN THE UNITED STATES FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS,” Trump seemed to shout via his Truth Social platform. “AMERICA IS A NATION IN DECLINE, BUT WE WILL MAKE IT GREAT AGAIN, GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE. I LOVE YOU ALL!!!”
Joe Biden Remains Silent
The White House offered no comment on Trump’s most recent indictment – but that isn’t actually the least bit surprising. Biden has largely avoided commenting on any of Trump’s legal woes.
In March, Biden was asked by reporters about Trump’s indictment from a New York grand jury, and said, “I’m not going to talk about the Trump indictment,” and when pressed, the sitting president stated again, “I have no comment on Trump.”
According to reports, though Biden was informed of the Trump indictment on federal charges in June, the White House also went into silent mode on the matter. Moreover, Biden has said he hasn’t spoken with Attorney General Merrick Garland about the case involving Trump’s mishandling of classified documents.
Say Nothing?
While Trump has taken every opportunity to suggest corruption within the Biden family, this is clearly not a two-way street. There are several factors at play as to why President Joe Biden has remained silent on the legal matters involving former President Trump.
One part of this is that there is a different perception between what a candidate can say from that of a sitting president – as the latter should be focused on the issues of the day, not the legal issues of a political rival.
Some in the media have noted that Biden’s silence could speak volumes to the American public.
“The White House and Democrats also see an opportunity here – you know, an opportunity to really illustrate the contrast between what Americans can continue to expect from Biden versus Trump if he were to come back,” explained NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez in April.
However, the biggest factor at play is that Trump supporters have already called all of the indictments politically motivated. Any comment from the White House would only support that narrative. Thus, even if Joe Biden had something to say on the matter, it is likely he has been advised to say nothing.
This week we can expect Trump to take to social media and label the indictment a witch hunt, while at most Biden may spoil “Oppenheimer” (not that we don’t know how it ends) as he enjoys some ice cream in Delaware.
Author Experience and Expertise
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
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