After Supreme Court win, Trump shifts focus to fight on executive immunity

Former US President and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump gestures during a "Get Out the Vote" rally at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in Richmond, Virginia, on March 2, 2024. (Photo/AFP)

Donald Trump has lauded the US Supreme Court's reversal of his disqualification from Colorado's ballot, but quickly turned his attention to another big case before the justices by publicly lobbying for presidential immunity from prosecution.

"I have great respect for the Supreme Court. And I want to just thank them for working so quickly and so diligently and so brilliantly," the former president said in Florida on Monday after the justices ruled in his favour by barring states from disqualifying candidates for federal office based on a constitutional provision concerning insurrection.

"And while we're on the subject — and another thing that will be coming up very soon will be immunity for a president," Trump added.

The Supreme Court in April is due to hear Trump's appeal of a lower court's ruling rejecting his claim of immunity from prosecution in a criminal case brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith involving Trump's actions intended to reverse President Joe Biden's 2020 election victory over him.

Trump, the first former US president to be criminally prosecuted, is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination to challenge Biden, a Democrat, in the November 5 US election.

The court's decision not to schedule its arguments until the week of April 22 reduces the chances that a trial in the case brought by Smith could be finished before the election. The trial was previously scheduled to have begun this week.

Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-lago estate that a former president should not have to face four criminal indictments and civil litigation — as he does in cases that he called politically motivated.

"Presidents have to be given total immunity. They have to be allowed to do their job," Trump added.

"When you make a decision, you don't want to have your opposing party or opponents - or even somebody that just thinks you're wrong - bring a criminal suit agains t you or any kind of suit when you leave office," Trump added.

'A very unfair thing'

It is not the first time Trump has tried to make his case publicly for presidential immunity, but the timing of his remarks on Monday made them seem aimed directly at the Supreme Court's nine justices.

US District Judge Tanya Chutkan on December 1 ruled against Trump's immunity claim.

"Whatever immunities a sitting president may enjoy, the United States has only one chief executive at a time, and that position does not confer a lifelong 'get-out-of-jail-free' pass," Chutkan wrote.

The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on February 6 upheld Chutkan's ruling, rejecting Trump's bid for "unbounded authority to commit crimes that would neutralise the most fundamental check on executive power - the recognition and implementation of election results."

Among the four criminal cases against Trump, two relate to his efforts to reverse the 2020 election results, one concerns his handling of classified documents after leaving office and one involves hush money paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.

During his comments in Florida, Trump lashed out at prosecutors and judges in his various criminal and civil cases.

"It's a very unfair thing for me," Trump said.

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Source: TRT