Chicago – July 02, 2024
President Joe Biden was offering a dramatic, direct response to an epochal Supreme Court ruling that could hand presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump a pass to unchecked power if he wins a second term.
But Biden’s defiance also conveyed a poignant image of a president refusing to be pushed off the greatest political stage after a disastrous debate performance revealed the ravages of age.
Biden appeared Monday night in the majestic surroundings of the cross hall just inside the front-door of the White House, with the presidential seal behind him and marble pillars on either side. But his argument — that presidents aren’t kings — was the opposite of regal. Biden said that the high court’s ruling on Trump’s sweeping claim to be shielded from prosecution over his bid to steal the 2020 election — finding that presidents are immune related to official acts — was dangerous and unprecedented.
“Now the American people will have to do what the court should have been willing to do and would not: Americans will have to render a judgment about Donald Trump’s behavior,” Biden said.
