It’s official: Donald Trump has won himself some limited immunity from accountability, courtesy of the Supreme Court’s conservative majority. In a 6-3 ruling, justices decided that Trump enjoys immunity for his official acts as president – but only up to a point.
Trump was quick to celebrate this “big win” on Truth Social, posting in all capital letters: “BIG WIN FOR OUR CONSTITUTION AND DEMOCRACY! PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!” It’s hard not to roll your eyes at the sheer audacity of it all. After all, isn’t Trump just trying to dodge accountability for his own actions?
But what does this ruling really mean? Well, according to special counsel Jack Smith, who is investigating Trump’s attempts to stay in office despite losing the 2020 election, this decision won’t necessarily impact the case one way or another. In other words, it looks like business as usual – and that means we’ll still be seeing Trump face scrutiny for his actions.
Of course, there are some interesting implications here too. For instance, did you know that Trump’s contacts with Justice Department officials and Vice President Mike Pence ahead of the Jan. 6 insurrection were deemed part of his “core presidential duties” – and therefore subject to immunity? Yeah, it sounds like a pretty convenient loophole if you ask me.
All in all, this ruling might not be as big a deal as Trump is making it out to be. But hey, at least we can enjoy the show while he’s gloating about his “big win”.