Donald Trump took a walkabout this afternoon in New York. He proclaimed that the President of the United States should be granted total immunity.
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In reality, this would pave the way for a Trump dictatorship if he is re-elected.
Today, before the judges of the Supreme Court of the United States, Donald Trump’s lawyers tried to defend this total immunity arguing that only elected officials of the American Congress could sanction the president.
Assassination
Imagine, as one of the judges asked, that the president orders the assassination of one of his political opponents by American special forces. What could the courts do?
The courts have no business getting involved, Trump’s lawyers responded. It is the elected representatives of Congress who would decide whether or not to impeach the president. And in any case, the special forces might disobey.
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Yes, but special forces are not the only actors in American society who could grant such a presidential request.
In addition, impeachment is a long and complicated procedure that requires the approval of the majority of elected officials in the House of Representatives and a 2/3 majority of elected officials in the Senate.
In fact, the president would only have to control the votes of 35 senators to avoid impeachment.
However, as the president would not be subject to the laws, he could exert all kinds of pressure on the elected representatives of Congress. He could even rape them or have them murdered.
Inadmissible
On its face, Trump’s claim of absolute immunity is inadmissible. If the judges of the Supreme Court acquiesce, we would urgently have to lock them up in a mental asylum or wonder if they are not completely corrupt.
They would give a re-elected Trump a free hand to establish his dictatorship.
But the learned justices of the US Supreme Court are not required to go this far to help Trump establish his dictatorship.
They can also try to increase presidential prerogatives. That would be opening a Pandora’s box.
Getty Images via AFP
Without limits
Firstly because Trump does not take into account the limits. If the judges recognized such privileges, he would interpret them in his own way, that is to say, by expanding them until he established his dictatorship.
Then, because if the American president is above the law, why not the vice president, the speaker of the House of Representatives, the president of the Senate or the chief justice of the Supreme Court? While we’re at it, what about their subordinates? And if the President of the United States is above the law, why not the presidents of major American companies?
It is mind-blowing that an American citizen would go before the United States Supreme Court claiming that his election to the presidency gives him the privilege of being above the law.
It is even more incredible that the judges took this case under advisement.
