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As the Supreme Court’s 2024 session comes to a close in the next few weeks, the justices will decide one of the most monumental cases in its history. The six conservative and three liberal justices have spent weeks weighing whether United States presidents have immunity from prosecution for official acts while in office.
President Trump has repeatedly spoken and posted about the matter, most recently on Sunday in a two-page Truth Social post, where he argued that presidents should not have to be fearful of punishment.
The 45th president wrote, “Without Presidential Immunity, a President will not be able to properly function, or make decisions, in the best interest of the United States of America. Presidents will always be concerned, and even paralyzed, by the prospect of wrongful prosecution and retaliation, after they leave office.”
He continued, writing, “This could actually lead to extortion and blackmail of a President. The other side would say, ‘If you don’t do something, just the way we want it, we are going to go after you when you leave office, or perhaps even sooner.’”
Additionally, Trump wrote, “A President has to be free to determine what is right for our Country without undue pressure…”
In his second post, President Trump emphasized his argument. “Without Immunity, the Presidency, as we know it, will no longer exist. Many actions for the benefit of our Country will not be taken. This is in no way what the Founders has in mind.”
Trump noted that “Legal Experts and Scholars have stated that the President must have Full Presidential Immunity.”
He concluded his post with a powerful statement: “A President must be free to make proper decisions. His mind must be clear, and he must not be guided by fear of retribution.”
Additional hot-button decisions from the Supreme Court are also expected in the coming weeks on cases involving abortion pill access, January 6 defendants, and social media censoring.
