Former President Trump argued Tuesday that if U.S. presidents are not broadly protected by presidential immunity, their retirements will be beset by legal battles and it will be difficult for them to enjoy their “golden years.”
Trump doubled down on his defense of presidential immunity in a series of posts on Tuesday, hours after he attended arguments before federal appeals court judges in Washington.
“Without immunity, it will be very difficult for the president to enjoy his 'golden years' in retirement,” Trump wrote in all caps on Truth Social on Tuesday afternoon.
“They will be under siege by radical prosecutors who have lost control, just like me, but there will be no retirement!!!” Trump added.
Trump, the leading Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election, warned in a similar post on Tuesday that other presidents would similarly lose immunity from prosecution if courts ultimately decide that presidential immunity does not apply. did.
“If a president has no immunity, courts will 'open the floodgates' to prosecuting former presidents. Adversaries will always do that for any reason!” Trump said. wrote.
In a second post, President Trump wrote, “If they take away my immunity, they're also taking away crooked Joe Biden's immunity. Without immunity, the president can't do his job properly.” That is very difficult.”
Tuesday morning's hearing considered a motion by the Trump campaign to drop election interference charges against Trump. During the hearing, Trump's lawyer John Sauer argued that the president could only face criminal charges if he had already been tried and convicted in the Senate.
Trump faces four criminal charges, including two related to his efforts to remain in power after losing the 2020 presidential election.
Trump was impeached for the second time for his actions over the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, with 57 senators, including seven Republicans, voting to convict, and 43 voting to acquit. He voted and was ultimately acquitted. A two-thirds majority was required for the vote.
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