WASHINGTON — The Republican Party’s post-FBI-raid rally around former President Donald Trumpcould provide an inadvertent boost to another politician: President Joe Biden.
Biden wouldn’t dare touch the politics of a criminal investigation, according to White House officials and party operatives. But at a time when most Democrats want a different nominee in 2024, the GOP’s elevation of Trump plays into the current president’s hands.
The more Democrats see Trump, the more they view Biden as their best bet for 2024, said Democratic lawmakers and operatives across the party’s ideological spectrum. One added that recent events have increased the likelihood that the president announces a re-election bid this year.
“As Trump’s stock rises in the Republican Party, so does Biden’s” with Democrats, said Brad Howard, a lobbyist and former aide to members of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition in the House. “If President Trump is still a factor, that is a continued benefit for President Biden and his case for renomination.”
The prospect of a “heavyweight fight” helps “both Biden and Trump,” added a prominent House progressive who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid upsetting liberals who aren’t thrilled with Biden. The Republican response to the FBI search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home “all but assures them both the nomination,” the lawmaker said.
The unprecedented investigation into a former president — one who is a likely candidate for his old job — creates a labyrinthine set of political risks and opportunities for Biden and Trump. For Trump, the greatest threat is becoming toxic to voters because of an indictment or conviction. Biden has to walk a tightrope between partisans who want him to ensure that Trump is prosecuted and voters who may see such a move as an abuse of power that unfairly targets a political adversary.
Biden appears to have chosen the cautious and traditional route of letting Justice Department officials speak — or act — for themselves. “It’s not even Biden’s style to use something the Justice Department does to his political advantage,” said a source close to the White House who spoke on the condition of anonymity.