President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign warns in a new ad that President Donald Trump could escape imprisonment if he returns to the White House after the Supreme Court ruled this week that the president has broad immunity from criminal prosecution.
In the ad, released ahead of the Independence Day holiday, the narrator says, “Nearly 250 years ago, America was founded against the will of a king. On the belief that no one was above the law, not even the president. Until now.”
“The Trump Supreme Court, which overturned Roe v. Wade, ruled that a president can ignore the law, even when it means committing a crime. Because Donald Trump told him to,” the narrator added. “He’s already led an insurrection, and he’s threatened to become a dictator from day one. Donald Trump can never hold this office again.”
The Biden campaign said the ad would air in key battleground states and on TV networks that attract younger, more diverse viewers, including ESPN, Bravo and Comedy Central.
In a controversial 6-3 ruling on Monday, the Supreme Court’s conservative justices shielded Trump from legal liability for some of his actions leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection, including actions that were essentially “official,” such as his conversations with Justice Department officials.
The high court sent the case back to a lower court to decide which acts alleged in his indictment on election subversion charges are exempt from prosecution, including pressuring local officials to create fraudulent electoral college votes in states he lost in the 2020 presidential election.
But the decision was largely seen as a victory for Trump, effectively making it impossible to stand trial on election interference charges before the November 2024 election.
Biden denounced the ruling on Monday, calling it a “dangerous precedent that fundamentally changes the power of the presidency.”
“All presidents, including Donald Trump, now have a free hand to ignore the law,” Biden said in a speech at the White House.
Biden campaign spokesman Michael Tyler also said the Supreme Court ruling frees Trump to pursue his policies, citing several statements from Republicans trying to regain the presidency.
“Everything he’s promised on the campaign trail – ‘ending’ the Constitution, jailing political opponents, and ruling as a dictator if given the chance – is now possible because of this decision,” Tyler said.
The ad comes amid intense scrutiny over Biden’s political future following his shaky debate performance with Trump last week. Some Democrats have urged Biden to drop out of the 2024 race so a younger alternative can take his place, saying the threat to democracy if Trump wins is a reason for the incumbent president to step down.
“Unlike Trump, I recognize that President Biden’s first promise has always been to our country, not himself, and I hope he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw,” Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) said Tuesday.
