by WorldTribune Staff, April 21, 2024
The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments on presidential immunity on Thursday, April 25 and eventually rule on whether Donald Trump is immune from prosecution on charges stemming from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s election interference investigation.
In a Friday post to Truth Social, the former president and 2024 GOP candidate argued that presidential immunity is essential to the proper functioning of the presidency.
"Without presidential immunity, it would be impossible for a president to properly function, putting the United States of America in great and everlasting danger!" he posted. "If they take away my presidential immunity, they take away crooked Joe Biden’s presidential immunity."
Trump said that without immunity from prosecution, the presidency "will lose its power and prestige, and under some leaders, have no power at all."
"The Presidency will be consumed by the other Branches of Government. That is not what our founders wanted!" Trump wrote.
In another post, Trump argued that if a president does not have immunity, "the Opposing Party, during his/her term in Office, can extort and blackmail the President by saying that, ‘if you don’t give us everything we want, we will Indict you for things you did while in Office,’ even if everything done was totally Legal and Appropriate."
"That would be the end of the Presidency, and our Country, as we know it, and is just one of the many Traps there would be for a President without Presidential Immunity," Trump continued.
Pointing to his presidential predecessors, and 2020 and 2024 opponent Joe Biden, Trump said: "Obama, Bush, and soon, Crooked Joe Biden, would all be in BIG TROUBLE."
"If a President doesn’t have IMMUNITY, he/she will be nothing more than a ‘Ceremonial’ President, rarely having the courage to do what has to be done for our Country," Trump posted.
Trump had wanted to attend Thursday's arguments before the Supreme Court but will not attend as the judge in his hush money case, Juan Merchan, said the former president must be on hand for the duration of the trial in New York.
"Arguing before the Supreme Court is a big deal, and I can certainly appreciate why your client would want to be there, but a trial in New York Supreme Court … is also a big deal," Merchan said this week, rebuffing Trump lawyer Todd Blanche’s request.
Merchan added, "I will see him here next week."
Last month, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Trump's favor in his challenge to Colorado’s attempt to kick him off the 2024 primary ballot.
The high court ruled in favor of Trump's arguments in the case, which will impact the status of efforts in several other states to remove the GOP nominee from their respective ballots.
