Editorial: Trump trial much-needed distraction for Biden

Joe Biden started the week off on a high note, well, high for him.

As former President Donald Trump’s “hush money” trial got underway in New York, an event breathlessly covered by mainstream media that has already declared him guilty, a new poll indicated a boost for Biden.

The president has skyrocketed to a 43% approval rating, his highest since November, according to a poll by the Financial Times and the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. It’s a gain of four points since March. That’s a smaller leap than the inflation rate on a loaf of bread year over year (7.7%, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics), but still.

On the economy, 41% of registered voters approved of his handling of the economy. That was a five-point jump from March.

But before Biden heads out for a celebratory ice cream cone, someone should step up at the White House and tell him this: Voters have a higher opinion of Trump since he left the White House, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll.

There is a trend of presidential approval ratings going up after leaving office, but this is Donald Trump — a man vilified by politicians and media before he took the Inauguration Day stroll down Pennsylvania Avenue in 2016.

On the economy, 64% of voters said that they either strongly or somewhat approve of the way Trump handled it. Back in 2020, that number was 54%. His approval rating on law and order hit 51%, up from 44% in 2020.

Trump’s trial is a welcome distraction for Biden, whose Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas is staring down impeachment. As The Hill reported, House Republican impeachment managers are set to send the Senate articles of impeachment against Mayorkas Tuesday. The transfer will officially force the Senate to take up the matter of impeachment against Mayorkas, which has been pending since the House approved the punishment in a 214-213 vote in February.

The last thing Biden needs is more attention drawn to his administration’s inattention to the border crisis, the effects of which continue to be felt in migrant-hosting communities across the country. Massachusetts spends about $45M per month on shelter and care for the migrants and homeless here. In that context, Election Day is approximately $292M away.

Voters have memories, one of which is Biden canceling Trump’s border policies on Day One.

The president can try to ride the victory of America’s part in thwarting Iran’s attack on Israel. U.S. forces aided in shooting down the 300 missiles aimed at Israel over the weekend, along with other allies. This won’t go over well with the anti-Israel progressives he’s trying to appease.

It won’t help that son Hunter Biden’s trial for gun-related charges starts in early June. Biden the Younger tried to get the charges dismissed, but a Delaware judge shot that idea down. His lawyers challenged special counsel David Weiss’ authority to file charges, it was reported, claiming the indictment was the result of selective and vindictive prosecution.

Meanwhile, Capitol Hill pretends not to grasp the meaning of irony.