New Biden ads call Trump a criminal after NY conviction

AUSTIN, Texas - The Biden campaign is spending $50 million on new ads that call former President Trump a criminal. 

According to the Associated Press, the ad blitz includes the campaign's first television ad mentioning Trump's conviction on 34 felony counts in a New York hush money case. The ad will air on general market TV, connected TV on streaming devices and cellphones in battleground states and on national cable.

This comes as the two candidates prepare for their first debate in Atlanta on June 27.

Democratic analyst Ed Espinoza and Travis County GOP Chairman Matt Mackowiak join FOX 7 Austin's Mike Warren to discuss.

MIKE WARREN: Matt Mackowiak, who do you think these ads are targeted to?

MATT MACKOWIAK: I don't know. And, you know, since the conviction in Manhattan, we've seen really no polling that has shown that the conviction has mattered. You know, that that issue, I think, has been priced into the stock from the beginning. I think Trump supporters see this rightly, in my view, as a political prosecution with no basis. Folks on the left have never liked Trump, were never going to vote for him. And so this doesn't really change anything. You know, Biden can't run on his record. His record is atrocious. Almost everywhere you measure success or failure in American politics, he's failing. The border crisis, the economy, inflation, wars overseas. So he's got to try to make this about Trump being a criminal, not about the issues that affect people's daily lives.

MIKE WARREN: Okay. Ed Espinoza talking about these advertisements. Who needs to see them for them to matter?

ED ESPINOZA: You know, Mike, when campaigns come down to the wire, they ultimately come down to a candidate's record. And that's Joe Biden's record. It's also Donald Trump's record. And in this case, he has the historic designation of being a convicted felon running for president. And that's not just in New York. He's also had legal problems in other states. Georgia, Arizona. There's a national case against him around January 6th in the 2020 election. And then, of course, there's the case where he was found liable against Jean Carroll and forced to pay $84 million. So that is a heavy weight to bear. And it's something that voters should be reminded of. Now, there has been polling since the verdict in New York, and it has shown a small bump for Joe Biden. And I think that that's going to really matter with independent voters in about six states. Or the phrase that we have heard, this race is probably going to come down to about 6% of voters. It's among 6% of the population. And that's exactly the states that you would think of. Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan. Probably missing one more, Georgia as well.

MATT MACKOWIAK: Georgia. Yeah.

MIKE WARREN: Yeah. Matt. Are these ads going to work?

MATT MACKOWIAK: I don't think so and actually agree with that on one thing. And that is, I actually do think the selection is going to come down to one thing. It's going to be about whether you like Trump's presidency better in terms of how it affected your life, or whether you liked Biden's presidency better in terms of how it affected your life. This is a binary choice, and neither choice is theoretical. We have two presidencies back to back, the same candidates running against each other for the first time in 100 years. So I don't think it's going to be about this. So I don't think this this Manhattan issue is going to to to tell the tale. I do expect the election to be close. It's right. The battleground map is probably seven states. We'll see if Virginia, North New York and New Jersey get at it. But we have a first debate on June 27th, and all these issues are going to get litigated.

MIKE WARREN: Okay. Ed Espinoza, you get the final word on this. Trump is a felon ad campaign. 

ED ESPINOZA: So I'll agree with Matt on one thing. I don't think it's solely going to come down to these cases, but I do think that will be a part of it. I think this is an election that's going to be colored by lots of different elements. And those criminal elements that Trump is dealing with will certainly be a part of it. Look, Biden has a very strong economy when it comes to job creation. The stock market has hit record highs for two years now. He's done what he can to lower drug prices. He's fighting junk fees that, for people have to pay junk fees on their credit cards. And let's not forget, all right. Roe v Wade, he's committed to reinstating Roe v Wade. All big things that are going to come back in this election, and certainly not the last time we'll talk about it.

MIKE WARREN: And everybody's got to go to the grocery store. And Matt. That's right. We're wrapping up. Thank you both very much.

ED ESPINOZA: Thanks, guys.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.