President Biden is deriding former President Donald Trump as a convicted felon who is attacking the legal system and wants to “exact revenge” in a second term.

Mr. Biden’s comments at a fundraiser late Tuesday in McLean, Virginia, coincided with his campaign’s decision to run ads that highlight Mr. Trump’s status as a felon.

“For the first time in American history, a former president is a convicted felon and is now seeking the office of the presidency,” Mr. Biden said at the home of former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe. “What’s more damaging is the all-out assault Donald Trump is making on our system of justice.”

For months, the president had been reluctant to comment on criminal indictments against Mr. Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee, hoping to combat Republican claims that the cases are politically motivated.

Yet Mr. Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records on May 30, and Mr. Biden is starting to lean into the issue

“Trump has made it clear he’s running to exact revenge. And now after his criminal conviction, he’s clear he’s worried about preserving his freedom,” Mr. Biden said at the Virginia fundraiser, which was also attended by former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Mr. Biden is doing a string of fundraisers as Mr. Trump reports a hefty haul following his conviction.

The Democratic incumbent appeared with former President Barack Obama in Los Angeles as part of a five-day fundraising blitz that raised around $40 million.

Swing state polls show Mr. Trump leading Mr. Biden or tied with the president heading into the summer party conventions.

Mr. Trump, 78, says Mr. Biden, 81, is slipping in cognitive ability and relying on the courts to give him an advantage in November.

Mr. Biden says Mr. Trump is the desperate one, pointing to his decision to sell Bibles and gold sneakers.

He also pointed to Mr. Trump’s strident rhetoric as a reason to vote for Democrats in November.

“The threat Trump poses will be greater in a second term than it was in his first term,” Mr. Biden said. “You know, he snapped when we lost. I mean this sincerely. He can’t accept he lost. It’s literally driving him crazy. That’s why when January 6 happened — and now he’s running again. He’s not only obsessed with losing in 2020, he’s currently a little bit unhinged right now. I’m being serious.”

• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.