Biden on Trump's immunity ruling "Dangerous precedent"
US President Joe Biden has criticized the US Supreme Court's ruling on the immunity of his office as a "dangerous precedent".
"Today's decision almost certainly means that there are virtually no limits to what a president can do," the Democrat said in a speech at the White House on Monday evening (local time). Any president - including his predecessor and potential successor Donald Trump - will now have the freedom to ignore the law, Biden warned.
Trump protected from prosecution
With its decision, the Supreme Court has created a "fundamentally new principle": The power of the office of the president will no longer be limited by laws in future, not even by the Supreme Court. "The only limits will be set by the president himself," warned Biden.
Trump won a significant victory before the highest US court on Monday. The Supreme Court ruled that former presidents are protected from prosecution for official acts in office. The Constitution does not explicitly grant presidents immunity, even during their time in office. However, the Department of Justice has traditionally taken the view that presidents cannot be indicted, at least during their time in the White House.
Court decision delays start of trial
With their decision, the judges have further delayed the start of the election fraud trial against Donald Trump. A lower court must now define which actions Trump's immunity applies to. It is considered highly unlikely that the trial in Washington will begin before the presidential election in November.
What is Trump accused of?
Trump has been charged in the US capital in connection with attempted election fraud. Supporters of the Republican stormed the seat of parliament in Washington on January 6, 2021. Before storming the Capitol, Trump had attempted on various levels to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election and reverse his defeat against Democrat Biden. Proceedings are also underway against Trump in the state of Georgia for attempted election manipulation.
In his speech, Biden said that the people of the USA had a right to receive an answer from the courts on Trump's role in the storming of the Capitol before the upcoming presidential elections in November. However, this answer will probably no longer be forthcoming.
Biden, who is in a critical phase of his election campaign after a disastrous performance in last week's TV debate, took the opportunity to call on people to vote. The 81-year-old did not answer questions about his candidacy.
