Biden blasts landmark Supreme Court ruling on Trump immunity

FRANCE 24 English

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00:00It is a landmark decision, one that defines the contours of presidential power in the United States.

00:06With its conservative supermajority cemented by Donald Trump,

00:10the US Supreme Court decided that presidents should largely be immune from prosecution.

00:16Much to the ire of protesters in front of the court.

00:19The ruling is good news for Donald Trump as it means the cases against him for his role in the January 6th

00:25Capitol riots and accusations of his trying to overturn the 2020 election,

00:30they're unlikely to go before a jury and they are likely to be delayed until after the November election.

00:36Trump lauded the 6-3 ruling as a great victory for the Constitution and for American democracy on his social media site.

00:44For the majority opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts argued that presidents are unlike anyone else.

00:50He wrote in the ruling that the president is a branch of government

00:53and that the Constitution vests in him sweeping powers and duties.

00:57But the current US President Joe Biden wholeheartedly disagrees.

01:01He said the ruling will not only embolden Trump, but it could also be a danger for US democracy.

01:07It's a dangerous precedent because the power of the office will no longer be constrained by the law,

01:13even including the Supreme Court of the United States.

01:16The only limits will be self-imposed by the president alone.

01:21Writing for the minority, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote a scathing dissent of the court's ruling.

01:26She said the relationship between the president and the people has shifted irrevocably,

01:31that the court's decision has now made the president king above the law.

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