President Biden spoke out against the Supreme Court’s decision on presidential immunity on Monday, labeling it a “dangerous precedent.”
“This nation was built on the belief that there are no monarchs in America,” President Biden stated. “Essentially, today’s ruling implies that there are almost no boundaries on a president’s actions.”
“This sets a completely new standard, and it sets a dangerous precedent,” President Biden emphasized.
In a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court overturned previous court decisions and declared that a former president has absolute immunity for their essential constitutional powers.
In authoring the decision on behalf of the six conservative justices, Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed that former President Trump is at least presumed to have immunity from prosecution for official activities, but not for unofficial ones. The case was remanded to a lower court to ascertain which of Trump’s actions related to the January 6 insurrection, if any, were considered official duties and hence subject to immunity.
“Now, it falls upon the American people to do what the court should have been prepared to do but did not,” President Biden stated. “The American people must determine if Donald Trump’s attack on our democracy on January 6 renders him unsuitable for public office in the highest position. The American people must decide if Trump’s endorsement of violence for the sake of maintaining power is tolerable.”
President Biden highlighted that the character of the president will set the boundaries of the office’s authority, “since the law will no longer serve this purpose.”
Watch more: Supreme Court sends Trump case back to lower court, giving former president limited immunity
