President Biden’s campaign dropped a new ad Wednesday ahead of the long Independence Day weekend, arguing that the Supreme Court’s Monday ruling that presidents have “absolute immunity” from prosecution for official acts means Donald Trump would enjoy absolute power if returned to office.
“Nearly 250 years ago, America was founded in defiance of a king, under the belief that no one was above the law, not even the President, until now,” the ad begins.
The narrator then claims that the 6-3 ruling by the high court lets Trump “ignore the law” — although the majority opinion by Chief Justice John Roberts clearly stated otherwise.
“The same Trump Supreme Court that overturned Roe v. Wade ruled that the President can ignore the law, even to commit a crime — because Donald Trump asked them to,” the ad continues. “He’s already led an insurrection, and threatened to be a dictator on Day One. Donald Trump can never hold this office again.”
The spot is set to air in battleground states and specifically targets younger voters.
In his opinion, Roberts stressed that the commander in chief “is not above the law,” and that “not everything the President does is official.”
The justices left it to the lower courts to define what constitutes “official acts” and did not specifically comment on what the ruling means for the criminal case against Trump in connection with his attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
Biden-Harris 2024 Communications Director Michael Tyler also issued a statement accompanying the ad, claiming the Supreme Court gave Trump “carte blanche to do basically anything he wants if he ever walks back into the Oval Office.”
“Everything he’s pledged so far on the campaign trail – ‘termination’ of the Constitution, imprisoning his political opponents, and yes, ruling as a dictator if he gets the chance – are up for grabs because of this decision. It’s that real,” Tyler added.
After the ruling came down on Monday, Biden’s re-election team held a press call claiming that the decision gave Trump the “keys to a dictatorship”
“The Supreme Court just gave Trump a remissions slip to assassinate and jail whoever he wants to gain power,” claimed Quentin Fulks, Biden-Harris 2024 principal deputy campaign manager, adding that its “a pivotal moment for our country.”
