The President of the United States, Joe Biden, criticized, on Monday night (1st), the Supreme Court’s decision on Donald Trump’s presidential immunity in comments from the White House. The move was seen as a victory for his Republican rival.
Biden also issued a warning about a possible second term for former President Donald Trump.
“There are no kings in America. Each of us is equal before the law. No one, no one is above the law, not even the president of the United States,” Biden said in a speech at the White House.
“(With) today’s Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity, that has fundamentally changed. For all practical purposes, there are virtually no limits to what the president can do. It is a fundamentally new principle and a dangerous precedent because the power of the office will no longer be limited by law, even including the Supreme Court of the United States.”
The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision along ideological lines, ruled that Trump can claim immunity from criminal prosecution for some of the actions he took as president before leaving office, likely delaying his federal election subversion trial related to his actions. on January 6th.
Biden has repeatedly warned that the limits of the president’s power now depend solely on the holder of the office and the choices that person makes. He said Trump would be a danger in that role.
The notably political speech comes at a critical time for Biden’s campaign as he tries to combat lingering concerns about his age, heightened by his performance in last week’s presidential debate.
The shaky performance has caused concern among some of his top donors and raised uncomfortable questions for Democrats about whether he should remain on the ticket, much less serve another four years in the White House.
During his speech this Monday (1st), Biden seemed alert, energetically reading a teleprompter in the Cross Hall of the White House. But the Democrat took no questions, backpedaling immediately after his five-minute written statement.
Biden referenced the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol and called it “one of the darkest days in the history of America.” He said the court’s decision makes it unlikely that Trump will be tried on his criminal charges related to the pre-election riot.
“I know I will respect the limits of the presidential powers I have had for three and a half years, but any president – including Donald Trump – will now be free to ignore the law,” Biden said.
The American president made protecting democracy a central tenet of his campaign.
Biden described the ruling as a broader pattern by the Supreme Court of undermining “a vast array of long-established legal principles,” pointing to other rulings on voting rights and civil rights, while implicitly laying out what was at stake for the presidential election. .
The Democrat added that voters now have the final say on holding Trump accountable.
“The American people must decide whether they want to trust… the presidency to Donald Trump, now knowing that he will have even more courage to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants.”
Biden added: “I agree with Justice (Sonia) Sotomayor’s dissent today. Here’s what she said: ‘In every use of official power, the president is now a king above the law. Afraid for our democracy, I disagree”, end of quote. The same should happen to the American people. I disagree.”
Remember the case
The Supreme Court of the United States released, this Monday (1st), a decision determining that former President Donald Trump has limited presidential immunity in relation to acts carried out while he was in charge of the White House.
With this, the Republican can claim criminal immunity for some of the actions he took in the final days of his presidency – in a decision that will likely further delay the trial he faces on federal criminal charges of trying to overturn the result of the 2020 election.
That decision — which was seen as the most closely watched case before the court this year — rejects a lower court ruling made by a federal appeals court in February.
This court had concluded that Trump did not have immunity for alleged crimes he committed during his presidency to reverse the results of the 2020 elections.
Trump celebrates: “Great victory for the Constitution and democracy”
The decision was quickly welcomed by Trump, who called it a “great victory for our Constitution and democracy” in a post on Truth Social.
The former president’s legal team says they believe it is possible that special counsel Jack Smith’s case regarding alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election is now completely undermined.
This would happen because any communication Trump had with then-Vice President Mike Pence or Justice Department officials could be considered official, preventing it from being presented at trial.
The team also highlighted that this could even help Trump in the case investigating confidential documents found in a businessman’s residence, although initial views do not necessarily mean that this is how the legal process will ultimately play out.
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