Former President Donald Trump wrote on social media this week that all presidents have complete legal immunity and called on the U.S. Supreme Court to rule this way in a court case related to prosecution against him. The former president warned that there would be severe political and legal ramifications if the court did not agree with the statement.
Trump wrote on Truth Social this Thursday that a U.S. president “MUST HAVE FULL IMMUNITY, WITHOUT WHICH IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM/HER TO PROPERLY FUNCTION.”
Trump argued that any mistake made by a president, “EVEN IF WELL INTENDED” would be likely followed by an indictment by the opposing party after his or her term ended. Trump wrote that “EVEN EVENTS THAT “CROSS THE LINE” MUST FALL UNDER TOTAL IMMUNITY, OR IT WILL BE YEARS OF TRAUMA TRYING TO DETERMINE GOOD FROM BAD.”
“THERE MUST BE CERTAINTY,” he said.
The former president compared the role of the president to that of police, who usually have a form of qualified immunity in their official duties. Trump said that there could not be effective crime prevention because of desiring to guard against “THE OCCASIONAL “ROGUE COP” OR “BAD APPLE.” SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO LIVE WITH “GREAT BUT SLIGHTLY IMPERFECT.”
“ALL PRESIDENTS MUST HAVE COMPLETE & TOTAL PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY, OR THE AUTHORITY & DECISIVENESS OF A PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES WILL BE STRIPPED & GONE FOREVER,” Trump wrote. “HOPEFULLY THIS WILL BE AN EASY DECISION. GOD BLESS THE SUPREME COURT!”
A PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES MUST HAVE FULL IMMUNITY, WITHOUT WHICH IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM/HER TO PROPERLY FUNCTION. ANY MISTAKE, EVEN IF WELL INTENDED, WOULD BE MET WITH ALMOST CERTAIN INDICTMENT BY THE OPPOSING PARTY AT TERM END. EVEN EVENTS THAT “CROSS THE LINE”…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) January 18, 2024
Separately, Trump predicted that the U.S. Supreme Court would overturn the Colorado Supreme Court decision removing him from that state’s Republican primary ballot. The Colorado Supreme Court ruling argued that the former president was disqualified due to the ‘insurrection’ clause of the 14th Amendment.
His attorneys argued in a legal filing to the U.S. Supreme Court that the 14th amendment’s clause did not apply to Trump.
The attorneys called for the high court to “put a swift and decisive end to these ballot-disqualification efforts,” which they argued could disenfranchise many American citizens and could “unleash chaos and bedlam” if each state could choose who appeared on the ballot.
