Former President Trump defended presidential immunity, arguing that without it, a president might be hindered in urgent situations due to concerns about facing punishment for their actions.
Trump highlighted the potential for the opposing party to prosecute a former president for unilateral actions taken during their term.
Trump cited examples involving Obama’s airstrikes and expressed confidence that the Supreme Court would support retaining presidential immunity.
For example, Obama’s drone strike in October 2011 killed a 16-year-old American in Yemen without providing due process. Abdulrahman al-Awlaki and his father, Anwar al-Awlaki, were considered operational leaders of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Without presidential immunity, Trump argues that other presidents could face criminal charges.
“I’m not talking about myself. I’m talking about [how] any president has to have immunity, because if you take immunity away from the president, it’s so important, you will have you have a president that’s not going to be able to do anything,” Trump said.
“[W]hen he leaves office… the opposing party will indict the president for doing something that should have been good,” he said.
“Obama dropped missiles and they ended up hitting a kindergarten or a school or an apartment house. A lot of people were killed. Well, if that’s the case, he’s going to end up being indicted when he leaves office,” he said.
“He’s killed our country with his policies. The border is a disaster. Everything he does is a disaster. What he did in Afghanistan is the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country… ” Trump said.
“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. It’s hard to believe that he meant well.”
Critics have opposed his stance, with some suggesting it could enable law-breaking.
Trump also expressed confidence in the Supreme Court’s decision regarding his name being removed from the ballot in certain states.
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