Being formally targeted for impeachment proceedings in Congress certainly wasn't on Joe Biden's Christmas list – but the Republican decision could end up being a political gift for the Democrat running for re-election.
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The 81-year-old US president is being targeted by Republicans in the House of Representatives because of his alleged role in his son's controversial affairs abroad.
But Joe Biden immediately responded with a message he wanted to make clear: This is all just political theater by a vengeful opposition. And the president is even using it as an argument to raise money in his upcoming race against Donald Trump.
“No president wants to be impeached in Congress,” recalls Todd Belt, a political scientist. But “in reality, politically, it is more of a gift for Joe Biden,” analyzes this professor at George Washington University.
In its response to Wednesday's Republican vote, the White House “quickly turned to the economy and the fact that this Congress has done little and is obsessed with political vendetta on behalf of Donald Trump,” he added.
“Happy”
Republicans have so far provided no evidence of the president's involvement. And even if Joe Biden were formally impeached by the House of Representatives, a conviction in the Democratic-majority Senate would be extremely unlikely.
For Republicans, interest in a political and media platform is of utmost importance, just weeks before the first Republican primaries – and the trials against Donald Trump.
The former president, who is far outperforming his rivals in the race for the Republican Party nomination, also dominates Joe Biden in recent polls.
The proponent of this impeachment trial against Joe Biden said on Thursday that he “never had the luxury” of a real investigation during the two trials against him. “Biden is lucky there is an investigation and he is TOTALLY GUILTY,” he wrote.
The accused Donald Trump sold mugs and T-shirts with his famous mugshot while condemning a political witch hunt. The Biden camp, in an email denouncing the impeachment process, urged him to donate money – starting at $5 – to finance his campaign, which American media said was a success.
“Tensions”
Joe Biden brushed aside Republican allegations about impeachment to make clearer Congress' inability to agree on aid to Ukraine or the budget, notes political scientist Todd Belt.
“If this continues during this election cycle, all the president has to do is point to Capitol Hill and say, 'Look what they're doing up there,'” he said.
For his part, Hunter Biden, long supported by his presidential father, appears to have changed his defense strategy after years of favoring discretion.
The 53-year-old, who faces two charges, held a rare news conference in Washington on Wednesday to clear his father of any involvement in his controversial affairs and attacked “the Trumpists” for trying to “dehumanize” him. .
A riskier strategy has “led to tensions” with the White House, which would prefer a more cautious approach, reports the American media Axios.
From the Oval Office, Joe Biden can reassure himself based on a few historical elements: No impeachment trial has succeeded in effectively ending the president's term in office. In 1974, a beleaguered Richard Nixon resigned before facing impeachment.
But the process itself can be costly: If the presidency refuses to release documents, citing the executive branch's right to secrecy, Republicans could become outraged and argue that the Biden camp has something to hide. And then a surprise is always possible.
“Perhaps the investigation could reveal something. “We don’t know anything about it,” summarizes Todd Belt.