President Biden told voters on Monday that it will be up to them to judge Donald Trump for encouraging a mob to violently attack the Capitol on January 6, 2021, hours after the Supreme Court issued a ruling granting US presidents immunity from prosecution by official acts. The ruling means Trump is unlikely to face a criminal trial for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election before voters go to the polls in November.
Condemning the court’s ruling, Biden said the country was founded on the principle that “there are no kings in America” but that the ruling issued Monday “almost certainly means there are virtually no limits” on what a president can do. to do.
The Supreme Court ruling added to Trump’s long-standing efforts to delay several criminal cases against him and established a new principle that U.S. presidents are immune from prosecution for official actions they took while in office. Trump faces criminal prosecution in Georgia for his effort to pressure state authorities to overturn Biden’s victory in the state, and federal prosecution in Washington, D.C. for actions he took that led his supporters to violently past police at the Capitol building to stop the attack. official certification of results.
“The American people must decide whether Donald Trump’s embrace of violence to preserve his power is acceptable,” Biden said, warning against entrusting the presidency to Trump, while “knowing he will have more courage to do whatever he wants, whenever.” he wants”. .”
Trump praised the court’s ruling, calling it “brilliantly written and wise” on his social media platform TruthSocial and predicting that the criminal cases against him would “go away.”
While the court ruling was a victory for Trump, Biden’s campaign welcomed the opportunity to talk about something other than the fallout from Biden’s shaky debate performance, which has raised concerns among Democrats that he cannot win and deliver. a second term. Biden’s remarks made him return to talking about a central theme of his campaign: the threat to democracy that Trump represents.
Biden called the US presidency “the most powerful office in the world” and said it is not only a role that tests your judgment, but “perhaps even more important, it is a role that can test your character.”
“The American people must decide whether Donald Trump’s embrace of violence to preserve his power is acceptable,” Biden said.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
