President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign warned in a new ad that Donald Trump could be unbound if he returns to the White House following this week’s Supreme Court ruling giving presidents expansive immunity from criminal prosecution.
“Nearly 250 years ago, America was founded in defiance of a king, under the belief that no one is above the law, not even the president — until now,” says the narrator in the ad, which was released ahead of the Independence Day holiday.
“The same Trump Supreme Court that overturned Roe v. Wade ruled that the president can ignore the law, even to commit a crime — because Donald Trump asked them to,” the narrator adds. “He’s already led an insurrection, and threatened to be a dictator on day one. Donald Trump can never hold this office again.”
Biden’s campaign said the ad will air in battleground states and on television networks that draw younger, more diverse audiences, including ESPN, Bravo and Comedy Central.
In a controversial 6-3 decision Monday, the Supreme Court’s conservative justices shielded Trump from legal liability for some of his actions leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, namely those that were “official” in nature, such as his conversations with Justice Department officials.
The high court sent the case back to a lower court to determine what conduct alleged in his indictment for election subversion is immune from prosecution. This includes his pressuring of local officials to create fraudulent slates of electors in states he lost in the 2020 presidential contest.
But the decision was viewed largely as a victory for Trump, effectively making a trial on his election subversion charges impossible before the November 2024 election.
Biden slammed the ruling Monday, calling it “a dangerous precedent” that fundamentally reshapes the power of the presidency.
“Any president, including Donald Trump, will now be free to ignore the law,” Biden said in an address at the White House.
Biden campaign spokesperson Michael Tyler also argued that the high court’s decision frees Trump to pursue his agenda unchecked, invoking several statements made by the Republican as he seeks to reclaim the Oval Office.
“Everything he’s pledged so far on the campaign trail – ‘termination’ of the Constitution, imprisoning his political opponents, and yes, ruling as a dictator if he gets the chance – are up for grabs because of this decision,” Tyler said.
The ad comes amid intense scrutiny regarding Biden’s political future after a shaky debate performance last week against Trump. Some Democrats have called on Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race so a younger alternative can replace him, citing the threat to democracy if Trump wins as a reason for the incumbent president to step aside.
“Recognizing that, unlike Trump, President Biden’s first commitment has always been to our country, not himself, I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw,” Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) said on Tuesday.