Less than an hour after the Supreme Court issued a landmark decision on Monday, providing sweeping immunity to sitting presidents while they do “official” activities, former president Donald Trump announced a “huge win.”
The Republican leader was fervent in praising the ruling as confirmation of his long-standing claims that he is the target of a “witch hunt” and “political hit job” carried out by President Joe Biden and, indirectly, Jack Smith, the special prosecutor from the Justice Department who is heading two federal cases against him, on Truth Social and in an interview with Fox News.
“BIG WIN FOR OUR CONSTITUTION AND DEMOCRACY. PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!” Trump exclaimed on his signature social media platform. He later told Fox the decision is a “big win for our Constitution and for democracy.”
“I have been harassed by the Democrat Party, Joe Biden, Obama and their thugs, fascists and communists for years,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “And now the courts have spoken.” He added: “This is a big win for our Constitution and for democracy. Now I am free to campaign like anyone else. We are leading in every poll – by a lot – and we will make America great again.”
Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the six-member majority, stated that presidents have extensive ability to use their discretion without fear of punishment. He then sent the specifics of the ruling back down to the lower courts to be further worked out. Chief Justice John Roberts’ majority judgment notes,“The President therefore may not be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers, and he is entitled, at a minimum, to a presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts,” “That immunity applies equally to all occupants of the Oval Office, regardless of politics, policy, or party.”
Smith is probably going to try to take advantage of the ruling’s acknowledgements that not all actions made by a sitting president can be regarded as “official,” and that in fact, non-official acts are subject to legal action. The prosecutor is still pursuing felony charges against Trump in relation to the confidential materials discovered at Mar-a-Lago and his remarks regarding the rioting at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, despite the deadline. He will have the chance to contend in upcoming federal court hearings in Florida and Washington, D.C., that Trump handled the documents and tweeted encouraging his followers to protest in the nation’s capital while acting in his individual capacity.