BBC presenter David Aronovich has faced fierce backlash after saying President Joe Biden should “kill President Trump” following a US Supreme Court ruling that the president has limited immunity from prosecution.
The British presenter host Radio 4 Briefing Roommade the controversial statement in a since-deleted post by X on Monday.
“If I were Biden I would rush to have Trump killed for being a threat to American security. #SCOTUS,” Aaronovitch wrote.
He deleted the post about 90 minutes later, blaming “far-right mob attacks.”
My tweet about the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity is clearly satire, but the far right is accusing it of inciting violence, so I’m taking it down. At least now we have a map of the dumbest people on the site.
— David Aaronovitch (@DAaronovitch) July 1, 2024
“Far-right people are calling my tweet about the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity an incitement to violence, even though it’s clearly satire,” Aaronvich wrote. “So I’m removing it. At least it gave me some maps. [of] These are the dumbest people on this site.”
GB News political commentator Alex Armstrong, who also appears on the BBC, accused the liberal presenter of “walking back” and asked whether “representatives” had made him remove the original post.
Now it’s backtracking. Did your rep reach out and tell you to deny it?
— Alex Armstrong (@alexharmstrong) July 1, 2024
Aaronvich dodged the question. Reply“Oh, Alex. Tell me about my ‘handler’.”
He then doubled down on his criticism. A follow-up post claims they are from a “subculture.”
Incidentally, anthropologists might find it interesting to look at the hashtags, profiles, and tweet histories of the people attacking me here today. They reveal a rather unusual subculture.
— David Aaronovitch (@DAaronovitch) July 1, 2024
“Incidentally, anthropologists might find it interesting to look at the hashtags, bios and tweet histories of the people who have attacked me here today. They reveal a rather unusual subculture,” the BBC presenter wrote.
Aaronvich’s employer has not made a public statement regarding his post or the subsequent backlash.
Supreme Court Monday 6-3 decision A poll in support of former President Donald Trump found that the president enjoys immunity. Breitbart News reported that he was spared criminal prosecution for his “official duties.”
The Supreme Court also ruled that the president has a right to a pre-trial hearing on his immunity and can appeal his case all the way to the Supreme Court before the trial begins.
This means that the trial of the former president will likely take place after the next election.
in Celebration Post Speaking to TruthSocial, Trump called the decision “a huge victory for our Constitution and our democracy.”
“PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN,” he added in capital letters.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden’s campaign and other Democratic leaders denounced the decision, saying it “does not change the facts” of Trump’s alleged crimes.
“Today’s ruling does not change the facts, but let us be clear about what happened on January 6th: Donald Trump, in a fit of rage after losing the 2020 election, incited a mob to overturn the results of a free and fair election,” a senior Biden campaign official said in a statement.
Biden-Harris campaign statement on Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling pic.twitter.com/Lusy7RzKbd
— Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) July 1, 2024
“Mr Trump is running for president as a convicted felon for the same reason he stood by while a mob violently stormed the Capitol – he believes he is above the law and will do whatever it takes to gain and retain power,” the official added.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also slammed the ruling, calling it the result of a “rigged” court.
Today, the Supreme Court made an arbitrary decision, violating a fundamental American principle that no one is above the law.
The assertion of total presidential immunity by a former president is an affront to the vision of our Founding Fathers, who declared our independence from King.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) July 1, 2024
“Today, the Supreme Court issued an arbitrary decision that violated a fundamental American principle that no one is above the law,” the former House speaker wrote. “The former president’s assertion of total presidential immunity is an affront to the vision of our Founding Fathers, who declared our independence from King.”
Sen. Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, called the Supreme Court’s decision a “disgrace.”
This disgraceful decision by the MAGA SCOTUS, comprised of three justices appointed by President Trump himself, allows a former president to break the law and undermine our democracy.
This undermines the credibility of the Supreme Court and suggests that political influence prevails above all else in today’s courts. https://t.co/wCNI42U5Ki
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) July 1, 2024
“This disgraceful decision by a Supreme Court made up of three justices appointed by President Trump himself will enable a former president to break our laws and undermine our democracy,” the Senate Majority Leader argued.
“This undermines the credibility of the Supreme Court and suggests that political influence takes precedence over anything else in today’s courts,” he added.
