President Biden on Monday sharply criticized the Supreme Court’s decision to give presidents most immunity from criminal prosecution while in office, calling it a “dangerous precedent.”
“In effect, today’s ruling almost certainly means that there are effectively no limits on presidential action. This is a fundamentally new principle,” Biden said in a speech at the White House. “This is a dangerous precedent because the power of the presidency will no longer be limited by law, including by the Supreme Court of the United States.”
“The only restrictions will be self-imposed by the president himself,” he added.
The Supreme Court on Monday issued a long-awaited decision on presidential immunity, with a 6-3 conservative majority ruling that the president has absolute immunity for acts that are within the core responsibilities of his office, and immunity for all other acts of official business.
The ruling marks a victory for Trump as he defends himself in a federal election subversion case that charges him for his efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat and his actions leading up to Jan. 6.
Biden made the unexpected remarks at the White House after returning from Camp David, taking the opportunity to warn American voters to use their own judgment when they go to the polls in November.
“The American people must decide whether it is acceptable for Trump to resort to violence to stay in power. Perhaps most importantly, the American people must decide whether they want to entrust the presidency to Donald Trump now that they know he will be even more bold to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants.”
It was Biden’s first time speaking from the White House since debating Trump last week. Biden has faced criticism for his poor performance and calls to drop out of the 2024 presidential race. Biden did not answer questions after his five-minute speech Monday night, despite urging from Sen. Chris Coons (D-Delaware) and others to speak more unscripted to ease concerns among Americans his age and older.
Speaking from the White House, Biden sharply criticised the Supreme Court and said he respected the power of the president, but that the immunity it handed down would apply to all future presidents, even if Biden were to serve a second term.
“The limits of presidential power will be determined by the character of the man or woman who holds that office, because the law can no longer determine them,” Biden said. “I will respect the limits of presidential power, as I have for three and a half years, but any president, including Donald Trump, will now have free reign to ignore the law.”
Biden concluded by saying he agreed with Justice Sonia Sotomayor, one of the Supreme Court’s three liberal justices, who wrote a sharp dissent saying the decision makes the president “king above the law.”
“The American people should also oppose it. I am against it. May God bless you all and may God help you protect our democracy,” he said.
