President Joe Biden made his first major appearance since his panic-inducing debate performance on Monday to give brief remarks on the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity decision released earlier in the day. In a rather uninspiring fashion, Biden spoke for five minutes, reading from a teleprompter about the court’s finding that presidents have immunity from criminal prosecution for “official acts” taken in office. After criticizing the decision and calling it a “dangerous precedent,” he swiftly exited the stage without taking any questions, despite reporters’ attempts to get answers. One reporter audibly questioned, “Mr. President, will you drop out of the race?” while another inquired about how he can assure Democrats he is the best candidate to defeat former President Donald Trump.
“There are no kings in America. Each, each of us is equal before the law,” Biden proclaimed. “No one, no one is above the law, not even the President of the United States.” He went on to lament the Supreme Court’s decision, arguing that it practically removes all legal constraints on presidential actions, setting a “dangerous precedent” where the power of the office is limited only by the president’s self-restraint.
This appearance marks Biden’s first major public engagement since numerous Democrats began urging him to drop out of the presidential race. The calls for his withdrawal started just thirty minutes after his disastrous debate performance last Thursday night, where he stumbled over answers and appeared confused. As the Biden campaign scrambled to manage the fallout, the president made brief appearances at campaign events over the weekend, addressing his debate performance to donors. “I know I’m not a young man. I don’t walk as easy as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to, but I know what I do know — I know how to tell the truth,” Biden said at a North Carolina rally on Friday.
By Saturday, Biden acknowledged at another rally that his debate performance wasn’t his best and understood the “concern.” Over the weekend, Biden and his family reportedly gathered at Camp David to discuss his presidential bid. According to sources close to the situation, the entire family is united behind his decision to stay in the race, with his son, Hunter Biden, being the most adamant supporter.
In his Monday speech, Biden concluded with a reference to Justice Sotomayor’s dissent on the Supreme Court’s decision, reiterating his stance against what he sees as a move towards unchecked presidential power. “I know I will respect the limits of the presidential powers I have for three and a half years, but any president including Donald Trump, will now be free to ignore the law. I concur with Justice Sotomayor’s dissent today. Here’s what she said: she said ‘in every use of official power, the president is now a king above the law. With fear for our democracy, I dissent.’ End of quote. So should the American people dissent — I dissent,” he stated.
Critics were quick to point out the irony in Biden’s remarks, highlighting his own attempts to sidestep the Supreme Court by pushing through student loan forgiveness despite the court ruling against it. “The Supreme Court blocked it, but that didn’t stop me,” he once boasted about his loan forgiveness plans, further underscoring the disconnect between his actions and his rhetoric about respecting legal limits on presidential power.
