Biden slams SCOTUS presidential immunity ruling, ignores questions about dropping out
President Biden slammed the Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity in Trump v. United States, saying it means there are virtually no limits on what a president can do, in a speedy address Monday evening.
The president spoke for less than five minutes – four minutes and 40 seconds to be exact – before turning his back to the press and walking away.
"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 Supreme Court ruled that a former president has substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts committed while in office, but not for unofficial acts.
TRUMP IMMUNITY CASE: SUPREME COURT RULES EX-PRESIDENTS HAVE SUBSTANTIAL PROTECTION FROM PROSECUTION
In a 6-3 decision, the Court sent the matter back down to a lower court, as the justices did not apply the ruling to whether or not former President Trump is immune from prosecution regarding actions related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Biden continued his address, saying that the American people must decide whether Donald Trump's assault on democracy on January 6th makes him "unfit" for public office and the highest office in the land.
"The American people must decide if Trump's embrace of violence to preserve his power is acceptable. Perhaps most importantly, the American people must decide if they want to entrust the presidency to Donald Trump once again. Now knowing, he'll be even more emboldened to do whatever he pleases, whenever he wants to do it," Biden said.
Biden also spoke about the character of the nation's first president, George Washington, and how he believed power was limited, not absolute.
Biden wrapped his speech and dodged questions from reporters as he left abruptly.
Reporters shouted questions at Biden, asking him if he plans to drop out of the presidential race following his debate with Trump.
Biden has not taken questions from the press and has used teleprompters at his events, including a fundraiser in the Hamptons, following his disastrous debate performance against Trump last week.
"Today’s Historic Decision by the Supreme Court should end all of Crooked Joe Biden’s Witch Hunts against me, including the New York Hoaxes - The Manhattan SCAM cooked up by Soros backed D.A., Alvin Bragg, Racist New York Attorney General Tish James’ shameless ATTACK on the amazing business that I have built, and the FAKE Bergdorf’s "case." PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!," Trump wrote in a post on his social media site Truth Social.
BIDEN CAMP DISMISSES TRUMP IMMUNITY RULING: 'DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACTS'
The former president was charged in August 2023 by Special Counsel Jack Smith with conspiring to overturn the results of his election loss to President Biden in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Trump has denied doing anything wrong and has said this prosecution and three others are politically motivated to try to keep him from returning to the White House.
Trump shared his reaction to the Supreme Court's ruling on his presidential immunity case, saying it's a "big win for our constitution and democracy," according to his Truth Social page.
"THE SUPREME COURT DECISION IS A MUCH MORE POWERFUL ONE THAN SOME HAD EXPECTED IT TO BE. IT IS BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN AND WISE, AND CLEARS THE STENCH FROM THE BIDEN TRIALS AND HOAXES, ALL OF THEM, THAT HAVE BEEN USED AS AN UNFAIR ATTACK ON CROOKED JOE BIDEN’S POLITICAL OPPONENT, ME. MANY OF THESE FAKE CASES WILL NOW DISAPPEAR, OR WITHER INTO OBSCURITY. GOD BLESS AMERICA!" Trump posted.
Fox News Digital's Brooke Singman and Brianna Herlihy contributed to this report.