Former US President Donald Trump said Thursday that his claim for “total” presidential immunity from criminal prosecution should apply even in cases where his actions “cross the line.”
The former US president is campaigning for a return to the White House in November while battling 91 criminal allegations in four different cases, including allegedly trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat and hiding top secret documents at his properties golf.
On the grounds of “presidential immunity,” Trump claimed that he should not be held responsible for actions he performed while president of the United States.
As a federal appeals court considers the issue, Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that presidents would not be able to “function properly” without “full immunity.”
“A President of the United States must have full immunity, without which it would be impossible for him to function properly. Any mistake, even if well-intentioned, would result in almost certain condemnation from the opposing party at the end of the term,” he wrote.
“Even events that cross the line must have full immunity,” Trump said, saying that otherwise there would be “years of trauma trying to determine right from wrong.”
Will Trump appeal?
Trump’s request for immunity from prosecution for his involvement in efforts to interfere with the results of the 2020 election is currently being considered by a federal appeals court in Washington.
“All presidents must be afforded complete and utter presidential immunity, or the authority and decisiveness of a President of the United States will be removed and gone forever,” Trump wrote.
“I hope it will be an easy decision. God bless the Supreme Court!” he added.
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Published: January 18, 2024, 11:40 PM IST
