President Joe Biden called the Supreme Court’s immunity decision ‘dangerous’ and said it would embolden former President Donald Trump if the Republican is reelected in the fall.
Biden spoke for just under five minutes in the White House’s Cross Hall Monday night and refused to answer questions about his own fitness to serve after his disastrous debate performance Thursday.
Instead he warned that the conservative-leaning court ‘fundamentally changed’ a bedrock principle of the nation – and pushed the American people to reject Trump in November at the ballot box.
‘This nation was founded on the principle that there are no kings in America,’ Biden said.
‘Today’s decision almost certainly means that there are virtually no limits on what a president can do,’ he continued. ‘This is a fundamentally new principle and it’s a dangerous precedent.’
President Joe Biden called the Supreme Court’s immunity decision ‘dangerous’ and said it would embolden former President Donald Trump during remarks in the White House’s Cross Hall Monday night after he returned from Camp David
The Supreme Court handed down a 6-3 decision on presidential immunity Monday, making Special Counsel Jack Smith’s election interference case against former President Donald Trump more difficult
‘The only limits will be self-imposed by the president alone,’ he warned.
The Court’s 6-3 ruling practically insured that Trump wouldn’t face another trial before the November election – after being convicted in New York on 34 counts of business fraud related to hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.
Sentencing for that case comes next week.
The decision, with the three liberal justices dissenting, grants Trump partial criminal immunity on actions he took as president while attempting to overturn the 2020 result – including on January 6 – putting in peril Special Counsel Jack Smith’s election interference case.
Additionally, the election interference case in Georgia has been paused, as has the federal classified documents case based in Florida, also being handled by Smith.
Biden called the Supreme Court’s decision a continued ‘attack’ on ‘wide range of long established legal principles,’ pointing to the reversal of Roe v. Wade and controversial decisions on civil and voting rights.
‘Only four years ago, my predecessor sent a violent mob to the U.S. Capitol to stop the peaceful transfer of power. We all saw it with our own eyes. We sat there and watched it happen that day,’ Biden said.
‘Attack on the police. The ransacking of the capitol. The mob hunting down House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Gallows erected to hang the vice president, Mike Pence,’ he continued. ‘I think it’s fair to say it was one of the darkest days in the history of America.’
President Donald Trump is photographed the morning of January 6, 2021, where he falsely told supporters that he was robbed a second term due to widespread election fraud and encouraged them to march on the Capitol – which turned into a violent riot
Text of the Supreme Court decision in Trump v. United States, which gives presidents immunity while from criminal prosecution for actions taken while in office. Biden warned that the decision would embolden Trump if he’s reelected over the Democrat in the fall
Biden pointed to Trump’s federal election interference court case.
‘The American people deserve to have an answer in the courts before the upcoming election,’ he argued. ‘Now because of today’s decision that is highly, highly unlikely.’
‘It’s a terrible disservice for the people of this nation,’ he said. ‘So now, now the American people will have to do what the courts should have been willing to do, but will not – the American people will have to render a judgment about Donald Trump’s behavior.’
‘The American people must decide whether Donald Trump’s assault on our democracy on January 6 makes him unfit for public office – the highest office in the land. The American people must decide if Trump’s embrace of violence to preserve his power is acceptable,’ Biden said.
‘Perhaps, most importantly, the American people must decide if they want to entrust the president – the presidency to Donald Trump, now knowing he’ll be more emboldened to do whatever he pleases, whenever he wants to do it,’ the Democrat warned.
The 81-year-old president pointed to the example set by the nation’s first president – George Washington.
‘He believed power was limited, not absolute. And that power always resides with the people, always,’ Biden said. ‘Now we’re 200 years later, today’s Supreme Court decision, once again it will depend on the character of the men and women who hold that presidency that are going to define the limits of the power of the presidency, because the law will no longer do it.’
Protesters gathered outside the Supreme Court Monday as the conservative majority ruled that former President Donald Trump is immune from prosecution for official acts as president of the United States
‘I know I will respect the limits of the presidential powers I have for three and a half years,’ Biden said. ‘But any president including Donald Trump will now be free to ignore the law.’
Biden said he agreed with liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor. ‘In every use of official power, the president is now a king above law. With fear for our democracy, I dissent,’ he said, quoting Sotomayor.
‘So should the American people dissent,’ Biden said. ‘I dissent.’
He then walked out of the room as reporters shouted questions.
The decision marks a big win for Trump – who’s already been taking a victory lap after showing restraint during Thursday night’s CNN debate.
Biden returned to the White House Monday evening as questions hovered over the 81-year-old president as to whether he should remain in the 2024 presidential race after his car crash of a debate performance.
After the debacle in Atlanta, which allowed Trump’s parade of lies on the debate stage to go under-analyzed, Biden traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina and gave a forceful comeback speech.
President Joe Biden (second from right) arrives back in D.C. after huddling with family members over the weekend at Camp David. He disembarked Marine One alongside (from left) Hunter Biden, baby Beau, Hunter’s wife Melissa Cohen and first lady Jill Biden
President Joe Biden (left) assists his wife Dr. Jill Biden (right) off Marine One Monday evening at Fort McNair in Washington. He spent the weekend fundraising and then at Camp David with family members after his widely-panned debate performance
‘I know what millions of Americans know – when you get knocked down you get back up,’ the president said, admitting ‘I don’t debate as well as I used to.’
But Democratic donors and other party members remained in a tizzy over Biden’s sometimes incoherent performance.
The president spent the weekend fundraising in New York and New Jersey before returning to Camp David – where he had spent an entire week in debate prep.
The Biden family posed for photographs with celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz, while encouraging the 81-year-old to stay in fight, The New York Times reported Sunday.
Fingers were pointed at staff for not preparing the president for his showdown with Trump properly.
But former aides rejected that blame game.
Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki defended former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain and top Biden adviser Anita Dunn and noted that ‘prep does not always determine the outcome.’
‘Biden was bad,’ Psaki posted to X. ‘Important convos about what happens next. But if you are directing your ire at “prep” you are not talking about the right things.’
Additionally, the first lady’s former press secretary Michael LaRosa blasted Bidenworld for saying that ‘data’ showed the presidential race wasn’t impacted by the debate.
‘Jesus Christ with the gaslighting, the talking points, and the damn spinning. Enough already. Show your supporters or the media this data so we can help you help him!’ LaRosa posted to X Sunday, reiterating those points Monday during an appearance on Fox & Friends.
