Joe Biden sought to shift the spotlight on his rival Donald Trump, saying in brief remarks that the Supreme Court‘s immunity ruling means that the American public will have to render its own judgment on the former president’s behavior.
“The American people must decide whether Donald Trump’s assault on our democracy on January 6th makes him unfit for public office, the highest office in the land,” Biden said. “The American people must decide if his embrace of violence to preserve his power is acceptable.”
The Supreme Court ruled earlier today that Trump had immunity for official acts as president, a decision that has the potential to greatly expand the powers of the occupant of the White House. The immediate impact of the decision likely will be to delay Trump’s criminal trial on charges that he conspired to remain in power after the 2020 election. The majority of justices ruled that the lower court would have to determine which parts of Trump’s conduct were official acts and which were not.
As such, Biden noted that it was unlikely that a trial would happen before this year’s election and that “America will have to render a judgment about Donald Trump’s behavior.”
The president made his remarks after returning from a trip to Camp David, where he has been with family members amid the fallout from his dismal performance at last week’s debate. That has triggered a round of calls for Biden to drop out of the race over concerns about his age, 81, and whether he can continue a rigorous presidential campaign with so much at stake.
Biden appeared tan and, as he gave remarks, much more direct than he was at the debate, where he at times struggled to complete sentences. But the president’s remarks at the White House were from a Teleprompter, and he did not take questions from reporters afterward. Some donors and supporters have said that Biden should do an extended sit down interview as well as a press conference, in part to show that he still have the political agility to wage a campaign against Trump.
In his remarks, Biden sought to redirect attention on to Trump and January 6th, calling it “one of the darkest days in the history of America.”
“Only four years ago my predecessor sent a violent mob to the Capitol to stop the peaceful transfer of power,” Biden said. “We all saw it with our own eyes. We sat there and watched it happen that day.”
The Supreme Court decision, Biden said, “almost certainly means that there are almost no limits to what the president can do. This is a fundamentally new principle. It’s a dangerous precedent, because the power of the office will no longer be constrained by the law.”
Biden said that Trump, if he returns to the White House, “will be even more emboldened to do whatever he pleases whenever he wants to do it.”
“I know I will respect the limits on presidential power I have for three and a half years,” Biden said. “But any president, including Donald Trump, will now be free to ignore the law.”
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