President Joe Biden's campaign on Monday reacted to the Supreme Court's ruling on Donald Trump's presidential immunity in the Department of Justice (DOJ) election interference case in a statement issued across the campaign's social media accounts.
Biden's campaign issued the statement shortly after the court ruled that former presidents have absolute immunity for official acts but no immunity at all for private acts. The court sent the case—which was led by Special Counsel Jack Smith and focused on Trump's actions surrounding the January 6 Capitol insurrection and Trump's alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results that saw Biden as the winner—back to a lower court in Washington, D.C. to figure out how to determine what constitutes an official act. It's possible Trump will still face trial for some charges in the case that are not deemed official, but conservatives are viewing the ruling as a victory, as it makes it less likely the case will go to trial before the November election.
Biden's campaign issued the following statement regarding the court's ruling:
"Today's ruling doesn't change the facts, so let's by very clear about what happened on January 6: Donald Trump snapped after he lost the 2020 election and encouraged a mob to overthrow the results of a free and fair election. Trump is already running for president as a convicted felon for the very same reason he sat idly by while the mob violently attacked the Capitol: he thinks he's above the law and is willing to do anything to gain and hold onto power for himself.
"Since January 6, Trump has only grown more unhinged. He's promising to be a dictator 'on day one,' calling for our Constitution to be 'terminated' so he can regain power, and promising a 'bloodbath' is he loses. The American people already rejected Donald Trump's self-obsessed quest for power once—Joe Biden will make sure they reject it for good in November."
When reached for comment, Trump's campaign directed Newsweek to a Truth Social post made by Trump shortly after the ruling.
"BIG WIN FOR OUR CONSTITUTION AND DEMOCRACY. PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!" the post said.
Despite the Supreme Court ruling, which comes less than a week after both presidential candidates faced off in the first presidential debate last Thursday, Trump still faces legal woes. Last month, a New York City jury convicted Trump on 34 charges of falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment that Michael Cohen, then Trump's attorney, made to former adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election, allegedly to keep quiet about an affair she said they had. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.
A sentencing hearing regarding the ruling is scheduled for later this month, though Trump has already announced plans to appeal the verdict.
Update 7/1/2024, 11:45 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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