REUTERS/Anna Rose Layden, REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
- Hunter Biden and Donald Trump's convictions may have damaged the US' global brand.
- Andrew Payne, a foreign policy expert, said they undermined the US' status as a democratic system.
- Biden's non-pardon of Hunter may benefit his campaign, but US credibility is hurt, said Payne.
The US' reputation is in tatters, regardless of who takes the Oval Office in January, according to an expert.
With criminal convictions on both sides of the election campaign, it's a lose-lose situation, said Andrew Payne, a foreign policy expert and author of "War on the Ballot: How the Election Cycle Shapes Presidential Decision-Making in War."
On Tuesday, Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, was found guilty of three federal charges related to the purchase of a gun while he was using illegal drugs.
His conviction came less than two weeks after Donald Trump was found guilty of 34 counts related to falsifying business records before the general election in 2016.
Hunter Biden was the first child of a sitting president to be criminally convicted, while Trump was the first US president to be criminally convicted.
Speaking to Business Insider, Payne said the historic convictions have "significantly damaged" the US' reputation on the world stage.
The election won't help save the US' reputation
The presidential candidates had contrasting reactions to their respective convictions. While Trump told reporters that his trial was "rigged," Joe Biden said he would accept the outcome of his son's legal woes.
Trump used the publicity from his trial to capitalize on fundraising opportunities. Shortly after his guilty verdict was announced, his donor website crashed, a spokesperson wrote on X.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Members of the Trump campaign who spoke to The New York Times said they hoped Hunter Biden would be acquitted during his trial, as it would prove the narrative that Trump was a victim of political persecution — and would likely raise millions of dollars from supporters.
John Zogby, a veteran pollster, told The Guardian that Hunter Biden's guilty verdict could be a "marginal political gain" for the president and that his decision not to pardon his son will be seen positively.
"It pulls the rug out from under that Republican argument that the justice system is rigged against Republicans to get Trump … a Biden did not get a pass," Zogby said.
Hunter Biden's conviction may be slightly beneficial to his father's campaign, though it will not "move mountains," Zogby said.
In contrast, it's likely to further damage the US' reputation, which took a significant hit when Trump was convicted, Payne said.
"It is hardly a ringing endorsement of the health of democracy in the United States that allegations of the politicization of the judicial system or questions about candidates' commitment to the rule of law feature so prominently in the campaign," Payne told BI.
If Biden is elected, he may attempt to rebuild the US as "an example of a country where no one is above the law," Payne said. But as the president's approval rating reached a record low this week, his future in The White House is unknown.
On Monday, FiveThirtyEight's weighted tracker recorded a 37.4% approval rating for Biden, compared to 41.6% for Trump. Neither candidate is considered hugely popular, with an April Pew Research Centre survey showing that 49% of voters would replace both candidates if they could.
This will make the upcoming election particularly difficult to call.
"Even if Trump isn't elected, when you have one of the two major presidential candidates and someone who is a former president who carries a criminal conviction, it kind of undermines your case that the democratic system is superior," Payne said.
"So there's a big undermining of the US brand, irrespective of whoever is elected in November," he added.
Representatives for The White House and the respective Biden and Trump campaigns did not immediately respond to requests for comment.