President Joe Biden, in his first major appearance since sparking panic at Monday's debate, delivered brief remarks about the Supreme Court's presidential immunity decision, released earlier in the day.
Biden spoke via teleprompter for five minutes about a court ruling that gives the president immunity from criminal prosecution for “official duties” while in office. He called the ruling a “dangerous precedent” and then stormed out of the room without answering any questions from reporters. (Related: Panicked Democrats rush to replace Biden after 'disastrous' debate performance)
“Mr. President, are you dropping out of the race?” one reporter can be heard shouting, while another appears to ask how the president will assure Democrats that he is the best person to defeat former President Donald Trump.
“In America, there are no kings. Each of us is equal before the law,” Biden said. “No one, not even the president of the United States, is above the law.”
“For everyone, the Supreme Court's decision today on presidential immunity marks a fundamental shift that will almost certainly mean that there will be virtually no limits on presidential action,” he continued. “This is a fundamentally new principle and a dangerous precedent, because the power of the presidency will no longer be limited by law or by the United States Supreme Court. The only limits will be those that the president himself imposes.”
Biden's speech on Monday was his first major address since many Democrats began calling for him to drop out of the presidential race — a demand that came just 30 minutes after he appeared disoriented and stumbled over his answers while on the debate stage last Thursday night.
Biden breaks down, Jake Tapper rescues him pic.twitter.com/oUkv5vqKeR
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 28, 2024
As the Biden campaign tried to do damage control, the president attended a campaign event over the weekend and spoke briefly to donors about his debate performance.
“I know I'm not young. I can't walk as easily as I used to. I can't talk as smoothly as I used to. I can't debate as well as I used to. But I know what I know. I know how to tell the truth,” Biden said at a rally in North Carolina on Friday.
The president later acknowledged at a rally on Saturday that he knew the debate had not been his best and that he understood the “concerns.”
While the president has sought to ease concerns within his party, Biden and his family reportedly met at Camp David over the weekend to discuss a presidential run. After the weekend, a source familiar with the matter said the “whole family is united” and that the president's son, Hunter Biden, is pushing his father most hard to continue in the campaign. The New York Times.
“While I will respect the limits of presidential power for three and a half years, any president, including Donald Trump, will now have the freedom to ignore the law. I agree with Justice Sotomayor's dissent today. I heard what she said. She said that in every use of civil power, the president is now a king above the law. Out of fear for our democracy, I dissent. End quote. So should the American people dissent? I do,” Biden said before concluding his speech.
