President Joe Biden, in a politically charged primetime address from the White House, sharply criticized Trump’s character and the Supreme Court’s immunity decision.
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Biden said:
The Presidency is the most powerful office in the world, a test of judgment and, more importantly, of character, for we face moments that call for courage to exercise the full power of the office but also for wisdom to respect the limitations of the office.
This country was founded on the principle that there is no king. We are all equal before the law, and no one is above the law — not even the President of the United States. But today’s Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity fundamentally changes that in virtually every respect. Today’s decision almost certainly means that there are no limits to what a president can do. This is a fundamentally new principle and a dangerous precedent. The power of the presidency will no longer be limited by law, not even by the Supreme Court of the United States.
The only limits will be those the President imposes himself. Today’s decision continues the court’s recent attacks on long-established rights. Today’s decision takes away a woman’s right to choose and weakens the rule of law in this country. Four years ago, my predecessor sent a violent mob into the United States Capitol to stop the peaceful transfer of power. We saw it with our own eyes and sat back and watched it happen. An attack on police. The ransacking of the Capitol.
A mob hunting down House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. A gallows to hang Vice President Mike Pence. One of the darkest days in American history. Now the man who led that mob into the U.S. Capitol can be convicted for what happened that day. The American people have a right to know the answers before the upcoming election. Before they are asked to vote again this fall, they will know what happened on January 6th.
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Perhaps most importantly, the American people must decide to once again entrust the presidency to Donald Trump. It is even more encouraging. As you know, when our country was founded, it was the character of our first president, George Washington, that defined the presidency. He believed that power was limited, not absolute. Power always belongs to the people. Now, more than 200 years later, the Supreme Court’s decision today will again depend on the character of the man or woman who holds the presidency. Because the law can no longer define the limits of the power of the presidency. I intend to respect the limits of presidential power for three and a half years, but any president, including Donald Trump, is free to ignore the law. I agree with Justice Sotomayor’s dissent today. She stated that in every visible use of power, the president is now a king above the law. Fearing for our democracy, I dissent. End quote. The American people should also dissent. I dissent. May God bless you all. May God protect our democracy. May God protect our military.
This was the message America needed to hear. America needed to hear what the president had to say. And it needed to hear that the Supreme Court’s decision on executive power meant the character of the two leading candidates in the presidential election was on the ballot.
Biden was clear and forceful, and his presence countered recent reports and rumors that he cannot speak or appear in public after 4 p.m. If Biden wants to reassure voters that he is fit for the office of the presidency, the best way to do that is for the American people to see him doing his job.
