President Joe Biden delivered a forceful speech Monday evening, sharply criticizing the Supreme Court’s decision to grant immunity to presidents for official acts. This ruling has allowed former President Donald Trump to continue delaying his election conspiracy case and placed new restrictions on how special counsel Jack Smith can charge him and use evidence.
“This nation is founded on the principle that there are no kings in America,” Biden declared. “No one is above the law, not even the President of the United States.” He warned that the Supreme Court’s decision “almost certainly means that there are virtually no limits on what the president can do.”
“This is a fundamentally new principle and it’s a dangerous precedent because the power of the office will no longer be constrained by the law, even including the Supreme Court of the United States,” Biden said. “The only limits will be self-imposed by the president alone”, reported BBC.
CNN commentator Van Jones was impressed by the speech. “Well, if he was weak and uncertain last week, he’s the opposite this week,” said Jones. “That was strong, that was clear, that was decisive. And was history-making in its own way. It is very unusual for a president to be that direct — ‘I dissent’ in the face of a Supreme Court decision — but I think he’s pointing to a fear and an alarm that exists in this country right now because it does look like the Supreme Court just handed a license for lawlessness to whoever happens to be in the Oval Office.”
Jones elaborated, “If Donald Trump, who ran over every norm, every rule, every tradition before when he thought he might face the consequences, what would he do now? This is not a tangential issue to the presidential campaign. The Supreme Court just threw down the gauntlet and said, a president can be as lawless as he wants to be and that makes it a choice much more stark.”
“I think that Joe Biden that we just saw, talking about character, talking about judgment, talking about American tradition, talking about George Washington, is the Joe Biden that deserves to win,” he added. “And the question is, is the public going to see that Joe Biden as the guy they’re voting for, or the person from last week? That’s the question.”
Biden’s speech underscores the gravity of the Supreme Court’s ruling and its potential impact on the presidency. His response highlights a commitment to uphold the principle that no one, not even the president, is above the law.