Former President Donald Trump has argued that without presidential immunity, an issue awaiting a federal court decision that is likely headed to the Supreme Court, the nation's commanders in chief — including President Joe Biden — are "not going to be able to do anything."
In a new interview on Thursday, Trump doubled down on a claim currently in the hands of a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., saying if the courts rescind immunity for presidents, "you will have a president that's not going to be able to do anything."
"Because, once he leaves office, the opposing party president, if it's the opposing party, will indict the president for doing something that should have been good," Trump said.
"If they don't have immunity, no president is going to act," Trump asserted. "You're gonna have guys that just sit in office and are afraid to do anything."
The Supreme Court declined to hear special counsel Jack Smith's request asking the justices to circumvent the appeals process and rule on whether Trump has broad immunity from actions he took as president to prevent his 2020 election loss.
The three-judge appeals panel is expected to issue a ruling on the case. But it's likely to wind up back in front of the Supreme Court.
Trump said the ultimate ruling could impact Biden too — slamming him as the president who has "killed our country with his policies."
"Well, when he leaves office, if he doesn't have immunity — now, I think it's horrible what he did, but he probably, I don't know; it's hard to believe, but he probably meant well," Trump said. "It's hard to believe that he meant well, but the man is incompetent. But you have to leave immunity with the president."
Trump also hammered Democrats for running an attack campaign against him, describing the situation as "democracy in peril."
"That's all they have," Trump said, deriding the Democrats' handling of the economy, border, and conflicts abroad.
He also ripped Biden as someone who "can't put two sentences together."
"He can't find the stairs off a stage, which there are a lot of them up there. Believe me, they're all over the place," he continued.
"He can't find his way off the stage when he makes a very short speech. It has to be short because it can't be long," he added. "He can't negotiate. Look at what's happening — the whole world is blowing up."
Fran Beyer ✉
Fran Beyer is a writer with Newsmax and covers national politics.
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