Biden can now order Trump assassinated, legally

David Pakman Show
2 Jul 202404:53

Summary

TLDRThe transcript discusses the implications of the Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity, questioning the legal actions President Biden could take against Donald Trump. It raises hypothetical scenarios, including assassination and election manipulation, to explore the boundaries of presidential immunity. The discussion also touches on the potential for Trump's lawyers to argue that his actions were official, thus immune from prosecution, highlighting a contentious debate about executive power and its limits.

Takeaways

  • 🏛️ The Supreme Court has ruled on presidential immunity, suggesting that Donald Trump may have immunity for official acts and possibly pseudo-official acts depending on lower court decisions.
  • 🤔 The script raises a hypothetical question about the extent of presidential powers, asking if President Biden could legally have Trump assassinated under the guise of national security and claim immunity.
  • 👀 It highlights the potential for a double standard in how immunity is perceived, suggesting that Republicans may view it differently based on who is in office.
  • 🚫 The speaker rejects the extreme hypothetical scenario and instead poses a less dramatic one, questioning whether Biden could manipulate election results under the pretense of an official act.
  • 🗳️ The discussion touches on the direct relation between a president's role and election outcomes, implying that election interference could be seen as an official act.
  • 📜 The script mentions the possibility of lawyers arguing that certain actions, such as election manipulation, are official acts, thus granting the president immunity.
  • 📺 The next segment of the discussion will reportedly focus on Trump's lawyers arguing that his actions related to fake electors were official acts tied to his role as president.
  • 🎯 The argument is made that Trump's lawyers will claim he was acting on his belief that he won certain states, thus casting electoral votes for himself based on that belief.
  • 🔍 The script anticipates a real challenge in defining the limits of executive power and the potential for abuse of presidential immunity.
  • 👮‍♂️ It points out the contradiction in conservative stances, where traditionally small government advocates are now defending the Supreme Court's decision and Trump's actions.
  • 📉 The final takeaway questions whether Trump will argue that all his indictments were based on official acts, suggesting a potential strategy for his defense.

Q & A

  • What is the central issue discussed in the transcript regarding the Supreme Court's ruling on immunity?

    -The central issue is the Supreme Court's ruling that Donald Trump may have total immunity for official presidential acts and possibly for pseudo-official acts, depending on lower courts' decisions, and the implications this might have on the actions of the current president, Joe Biden.

  • What is the hypothetical scenario presented where President Biden could potentially be immune for an extreme action against Trump?

    -The hypothetical scenario is that if President Biden officially determines that Donald Trump is a threat to national security, he could potentially order Trump's assassination or imprisonment and claim immunity for these actions as official presidential acts.

  • Why might some people argue that manipulating election results could be considered an official act by President Biden?

    -Some might argue that since the outcome of an election directly relates to the role of the president, any action taken by President Biden to influence the election results, such as ordering voting machine companies to declare him the winner, could be seen as an official act.

  • What is the concern about the potential misuse of presidential immunity as suggested in the transcript?

    -The concern is that the concept of presidential immunity could be expanded to cover actions that are not in the best interest of the country or are even illegal, simply because they are framed as 'official acts' by the president.

  • What is the role of lawyers in this context according to the transcript?

    -Lawyers could potentially argue that certain actions taken by the president, even if they are controversial or questionable, are official acts and therefore the president should be immune from legal consequences.

  • What is the reference to 'fake electors' in the transcript about?

    -The reference is to the attempt by Trump's lawyers to argue that sending slates of fake electors to states like Arizona and Wisconsin, despite Biden winning the popular vote there, was an official act related to Trump's role as president.

  • How does the transcript suggest that the actions of small government conservatives might be hypocritical?

    -The transcript suggests that small government conservatives, who have traditionally argued against executive power, are hypocritical because they defended Trump's actions during his presidency and are now defending the Supreme Court's decision on immunity, which expands executive power.

  • What is the implication of Trump's lawyers arguing that his actions were based on his belief that he won the states?

    -The implication is that Trump's lawyers are trying to frame his actions as legitimate and part of his official duties as president, despite the fact that his claims of winning were disputed.

  • What is the potential legal strategy suggested by the transcript for Trump regarding his indictments?

    -The potential legal strategy suggested is that Trump might argue that all actions for which he has been indicted were official acts of his presidency, and therefore he should be immune from prosecution.

  • What is the broader issue raised in the transcript about the interpretation and application of presidential immunity?

    -The broader issue is the potential for the interpretation and application of presidential immunity to be manipulated or expanded in ways that could allow a president to act without legal accountability, even for actions that are not in line with the law or the best interests of the country.

  • How does the transcript suggest that the Supreme Court's decision might be politically motivated?

    -The transcript suggests that the decision might be politically motivated by noting that conservatives who typically argue for less executive power are now defending a decision that expands immunity for presidential actions.

Outlines

00:00

🏛️ Presidential Immunity and Legal Actions

The paragraph discusses the implications of the Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity, specifically in relation to Donald Trump's potential immunity for both official and unofficial acts. It raises the hypothetical scenario of President Joe Biden taking extreme measures, such as assassination or imprisonment, against Trump under the guise of national security, questioning the legality and immunity of such actions. The speaker also contemplates whether Biden could manipulate election results, drawing a parallel to Trump's alleged attempts to influence the electoral process. The paragraph concludes with the anticipation of Trump's lawyers arguing that his actions were part of his presidential role, thus invoking immunity.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority in the United States, with the power to interpret the Constitution and make decisions that are binding on all other courts. In the video, the Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity is central to the discussion, suggesting that it has the final say on whether Donald Trump has immunity from prosecution for his official acts.

💡Donald Trump

Donald Trump is the 45th President of the United States, and his potential immunity from prosecution is a focal point in the video. The script discusses the implications of the Supreme Court's ruling on his actions and the broader debate on presidential powers.

💡Joe Biden

Joe Biden is the 46th President of the United States. The video script speculates on the legal actions he could take, such as potentially manipulating election results or even ordering the assassination of a political rival, within the context of presidential immunity.

💡National Security

National security refers to the measures taken by a government to protect the country against threats, such as terrorism, espionage, and other dangers. The script raises a hypothetical scenario where President Biden might consider Donald Trump a threat to national security, which could influence legal actions against him.

💡Assassination

Assassination is the act of killing a prominent person, often for political reasons. In the video, the term is used in a hypothetical context to explore the limits of presidential immunity and the legality of actions taken by a president.

💡Immunity

Immunity in this context refers to the legal protection from prosecution that a president may have for their official acts. The script discusses the nuances of this immunity, including how it might apply to various actions taken by a president.

💡Pseudo Official Acts

The term 'pseudo official acts' is used in the script to describe actions that may not be strictly official but could be argued as such. This concept is important as it blurs the line between what is and isn't protected by presidential immunity.

💡Election Results

Election results are the outcomes of voting in political contests. The script suggests a scenario where President Biden could manipulate these results, which is a critical aspect of the discussion on the potential abuse of presidential power.

💡Voting Machine Companies

Voting machine companies are organizations that provide the technology for casting and counting votes in elections. The script mentions these companies in the context of a hypothetical scenario where President Biden could order them to alter election results.

💡Fake Electors

Fake electors are individuals who falsely claim to represent the electoral votes of a state, typically in an attempt to influence the outcome of an election. The script refers to this in the context of Donald Trump's lawyers arguing that his actions related to fake electors were official acts.

💡Executive Power

Executive power refers to the authority exercised by the executive branch of government, particularly the president. The video discusses the debate over the extent of this power, especially in relation to the actions of former President Trump and the Supreme Court's ruling on immunity.

Highlights

The Supreme Court has ruled on Donald Trump's immunity concerning official presidential acts.

The possibility of varying immunity for pseudo-official acts depending on lower court decisions.

A hypothetical scenario where President Biden could be immune for actions against Trump based on national security concerns.

The potential for gaslighting in political discourse regarding presidential actions.

The concept of presidential immunity being applied to extreme hypotheticals such as assassination.

The debate on the extent of presidential power and immunity in the context of election interference.

The legal implications of a president ordering voting machine companies to alter election results.

The argument that actions related to the electoral process could be considered official presidential acts.

Trump's lawyers' strategy to frame his actions as official based on his belief in election outcomes.

The potential for conservatives to defend the Supreme Court's decision on executive power.

The possibility of Trump arguing that his indictments relate to official acts of his presidency.

The contrast between traditional conservative views on executive power and the current defense of the Supreme Court's decision.

The complexity of defining what constitutes an official presidential act in the context of legal immunity.

The potential for a shift in the understanding of presidential immunity and its impact on future legal precedents.

Transcripts

play00:00

Speaker 1: The natural question. Now that the  Supreme Court has ruled that Donald Trump has  

play00:04

total immunity when it comes to official  presidential acts and may have immunity  

play00:09

depending on what lower courts decide with  regard to what we might call pseudo official  

play00:14

acts. What could Joe Biden do legally? The obvious  supposition. The natural question is if Biden  

play00:25

determines officially, as president of the United  States, that Donald Trump represents a threat to  

play00:32

the national security of this country. Can't Joe  Biden have Trump assassinated and be immune? Now,  

play00:39

I know that right wingers are going to try to  gaslight you into thinking you are being gaslit  

play00:45

by those who say, what about Biden assassinating  Trump? What about Biden imprisoning Trump? But if  

play00:53

you can argue that it is an official act, then  by definition it would be an act for which the  

play00:58

president is immune all of a sudden. It'll quickly  become immunity if you are a Republican. Right?  

play01:07

Because we know that that's what fundamentally  this is really about. But let's stop short. If  

play01:11

it's too cartoonish to go to Biden assassinating  Trump officially as his role defending the United  

play01:18

States, or Biden imprisoning Trump by fiat by  declaration because he is a threat to the United  

play01:24

States. Okay, let's stop short of that. What about  Biden simply saying I am going to manipulate the  

play01:31

election results? This is what Trump tried to  do, but he failed. But certainly the election  

play01:38

and whether one remains president relates directly  to your official role as president. So what would  

play01:45

stop, legally speaking, President Biden from  going to the voting machine companies and saying,  

play01:52

you need to make me the winner. I order you  under threat of imprisonment. Make me the winner  

play01:59

according to what your machines say. Certainly,  you could get lawyers that would argue that that  

play02:05

is an official act. And in the next segment, we  will actually see that Donald Trump's lawyers are  

play02:12

now making the case that when Trump tried to get  involved in sending those slates of fake electors  

play02:19

in Arizona and Wisconsin to go, hey, you know,  even though Biden won the popular vote in these  

play02:23

states, we're here to cast our electoral votes  for Donald Trump. Trump's lawyers are going to  

play02:28

argue that was an official act, that it related  to Trump's role as president, having information  

play02:33

about who was the true and rifle winner of those  states. And therefore, Trump obviously acted as  

play02:37

president based on his true belief that he won  those states to send those a fake electors forward  

play02:43

to cast their ballots for Donald Trump. So we have  a real situation on our hands here. And you are  

play02:50

going to see the small government conservatives,  the conservatives who have been spending the last  

play02:56

five, ten, 15, 20 years arguing against executive  power and presidents should have less power,  

play03:01

who not only defended everything Trump  didn't try to do while he was president,  

play03:05

but will now defend this extraordinary decision by  the Supreme Court. So question two becomes, will  

play03:14

Trump argue that everything he's been indicted for  was an official act? I believe the answer is yes.

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Related Tags
Presidential ImmunityBidenTrumpSupreme CourtLegal AnalysisElection ManipulationNational SecurityExecutive PowerPolitical DebateFake Electors