'No kings in America': US President Joe Biden criticises Supreme Court's ruling on Trump's immunity
Washington : On Monday, President Joe Biden criticised the Supreme Court's decision on presidential immunity sets a "dangerous precedent" that Donald Trump could exploit if re-elected in November.
The ruling, issued on Monday, determined that former President Donald Trump has substantial immunity from prosecution related to charges of attempting to overturn the 2020 election, as reported by media sources.
Biden condemned the decision as a "terrible disservice" to the American people, emphasising that the US was founded on the principle that there are no kings in America.
During his live remarks on X, “Each, each of us is equal before the law. No one is above the law, not even the president of the United States.”
This nation was founded on the principle that there are no kings in America.
Each of us is equal before the law. No one is above it.
Not even the President of the United States.
With today’s Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity, that fundamentally changed. — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 2, 2024
US President Biden added, "With today's Supreme Court decision and presidential immunity that fundamentally changed for all practical purposes, today's decision almost certainly means that there are virtually no limits on what the president can do."
He stressed that this is a fundamentally new principle.
"And it's a dangerous precedent because the power of the office will no longer be constrained by the law, even including the Supreme Court of the United States," Biden said.
I will respect the limits of presidential powers that I have for three and a half years. But any president, including Donald Trump, will now be free to ignore the law.
I concur with what Justice Sotomayor wrote today:
"With fear for our democracy—I dissent."
So do I. pic.twitter.com/YmrPBMQhgY — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 2, 2024
He added, "The only limits will be self-imposed by the president alone."
Criticising the apex court's decision which came on Monday, Biden said that the decision undermines the rule of law of this country.
Biden recounted Donald Trump's incitement of the January 6 attack on the Capitol and said the Americans deserved to have a trial on those actions before the election, but now the court's ruling has made that impossible.
"Now because of today's decision, that's highly, highly unlikely. It's a terrible disservice to the people in this nation," he stressed.
Biden emphasised that the American people must decide whether Trump's assault on January 6 makes him unfit for handling public office in the country.
Biden stressed that the president is now become a king above the law.
The US Supreme Court has ruled that former President Trump is entitled to have substantial immunity from prosecution on charges of plotting to subvert the 2020 election, media sources reported.
- With inputs from agencies
