Donald Trump is enjoying a period of significant success. After defeating Joe Biden in the first televised debate, he has achieved another important victory: the US Supreme Court has ruled, for the first time in the country’s history, that former presidents can be protected from criminal charges related to official acts performed while in office.
This decision will have lasting repercussions, not only for Trump but also for the political future of the United States. One of the immediate consequences is that the trial against Trump for attempting to subvert the results of the 2020 election will be postponed, probably until after the presidential election. This was precisely the goal of Trump and his lawyers. The tycoon celebrated the decision as a “great victory for our Constitution and democracy” and expressed pride in being an American.
The reaction of the three liberal justices – Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson – was extremely critical. Sotomayor declared that the Founding Fathers would not have supported such a decision and that it makes the president “a king above the law”.
The case is now in the hands of Washington Judge Tanya Chutkan, who will have to decide whether some of the charges brought by special counsel Jack Smith should be dismissed based on the distinction between the president’s official actions and those taken in his private capacity.
If Trump wins the Nov. 5 election, he could force the Justice Department to dismiss the case and grant him a pardon. The victory comes at a crucial time in the campaign, with the Republican convention and the sentencing in the Stormy Daniels porn payments case looming. Trump has called for an “end to the witch hunt” in all other cases involving him.
On the Democratic front, the situation is very tense. The Biden family is facing difficult hours between accusations and complex decisions. While some family members and donors criticize the campaign’s top advisers for not having adequately prepared the president, Biden and his team are trying to stop the hemorrhage of donors. Biden is also scheduled to hold a call with major donors to convince them to continue supporting him.
Democrats are considering officially nominating Joe Biden in the second half of July to stem rumors of a possible replacement in the race for the White House. According to Bloomberg, one of the possibilities is July 21, when the Democratic convention credentials committee will meet virtually to finalize the procedures for the convention that opens on August 19.
