Staff Reports
Vice President Kamala Harris seems to have missed the memo on the term “presidential immunity,” and instead, she’s chosen to transform Supreme Court rulings into campaign slogans. At a recent rally in Nevada, she raised the alarm about the dire consequences of re-electing Donald Trump, citing a recent Supreme Court ruling that declared presidents can’t be held criminally liable for their official actions. It appears that for Harris, the ruling wasn’t just a legal opinion—it was a call to arms for her Democratic base.
Harris warned that if Trump were to reclaim the White House, it would unleash a whirlwind of unchecked power. In her world, the 2016 and 2020 elections were mere warm-ups for the real high-stakes showdown ahead in 2024. Interestingly, she claimed the stakes are now “even higher,” as if Americans weren’t already swimming in a raging sea of political hyperbole. Her true fear seems to be that Trump could be allowed to act like, well, a president without the meddling of partisan judicial oversight.
.@KamalaHarris doesn't care about the Constitution
She said either Congress bans "assault weapons"
Or she will by illegal executive action#2A & SCOTUS disagree
So should all of us pic.twitter.com/ZdLZu2hilD— Jim Hanson (@JimHansonDC) July 29, 2024
The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision essentially reinforced that, while in office, a president is shielded by absolute immunity for actions tied to their official duties. This is not a new concept, but it certainly made for fodder in Harris’s campaign rhetoric. It is noteworthy that the ruling didn’t quite center on Trump’s myriad legal troubles but instead hoped to establish guidelines for the lower courts handling such cases. Yet, for Democrats, the notion that Trump might be temporarily out of the legal crosshairs is catastrophic.
Of course, Harris had to paint a rather dramatic picture in her speech. She portrayed Trump as a would-be dictator, claiming that he’d weaponize the Department of Justice against political foes, all while tossing around phrases like “termination of the Constitution.” While hyperbole is certainly a staple of political speech, it’s hard to ignore that such claims make for good headlines but less so for substantive discussion about freedom, governance, and the rule of law.
As frustration mounts among Trump critics, the Vice President’s warnings seem more emotive than fact-based. It’s as if they are heckling a player sitting on the sidelines during the game while reveling in their minor victories. Perhaps a little less melodrama and more focus on policy would better serve Harris’s appeal to voters. In any case, the stage is set for a tumultuous electoral season, filled with rival narratives that turn legal rulings into campaign cannon fodder. It’ll be interesting to see how this story unfolds as the election looms closer.
