Trump demands ‘TOTAL IMMUNITY’ for presidents. Must we wonder why?
Former president and current criminal defendant Donald Trump is now begging the U.S. Supreme Court to get involved in his attempt to get a federal election interference case dismissed, claiming he has presidential immunity. In a lengthy all-caps missive posted Thursday, Trump insisted presidents must have “TOTAL IMMUNITY,” even for things that “CROSS THE LINE,” writing, “HOPEFULLY THIS WILL BE AN EASY DECISION. GOD BLESS THE SUPREME COURT!”
To keep Trump from expending all his crazy juice on this issue, I’ve taken the liberty of adding some additional deep thoughts, complete with his allcaps style, that he can post on his Truth Social account. I swear, no one will know the difference:
IT IS TOTALLY UNFAIR, AND VERY DANGEROUS, TO ATTEMPT TO HOLD A PRESIDENT LEGALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR “CRIMES” HE MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE DONE WHILE BEING THE BEST PRESIDENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY.
I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT MYSELF, ALTHOUGH MANY SAY I WAS THE BEST PRESIDENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY, BECAUSE I DEFINITELY DID NOTHING WRONG WHILE MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.
WITHOUT TOTAL, ABSOLUTE AND COMPLETE IMMUNITY, AN AMAZING
AND HANDSOME PRESIDENT WHO IS ONE OF THE BEST GOLFERS ANYONE HAS EVER PLAYED WOULD BE UNABLE TO DO HIS JOB AND LEAD THE COUNTRY, ESPECIALLY IF THAT JOB INVOLVED DOING SOME THINGS THE DEEP STATE MIGHT CONSIDER “ILLEGAL” OR “UNCONSTITUTIONAL.”
IT IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR A STRONG AND POWERFUL PRESIDENT TO BE PERFECT, JUST AS IT’S NOT POSSIBLE FOR A STRONG AND POWERFUL BUSINESSMAN TO BE PERFECT. SOMETIMES THEY MAKE MISTAKES, EVEN IF WELL INTENDED, LIKE ACCIDENTALLY HAVING SEX WITH A PORN STAR WHILE THEIR WIFE IS HOME WITH A NEWBORN BABY. THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO ME, PERSONALLY, BUT IT IS A TOTALLY UNDERSTANDABLE THING THAT NO THIRD WIFE SHOULD STILL BE MAD ABOUT.
NO PRESIDENT SHOULD BE AFRAID TO APPOINT HIS BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER – SO BEAUTIFUL! – AND HER CREEPY HUSBAND TO HIGHRANKING WHITE HOUSE POSITIONS FROM WHICH THEY LATER RECEIVE HUGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY FROM FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS. THAT IS JUST A FAKE EXAMPLE I’M MAKING UP, BUT YOU CAN UNDERSTAND HOW DISTRACTING IT WOULD BE FOR A PRESIDENT IF HE HAD TO FOLLOW LAWS RATHER THAN JUST DOING WHATEVER HE WANTS BECAUSE HE HAS NEVER IN HIS LIFE
the impact on the economy.
Independent contractors cannot be unionized, so the more companies lean on these workers, the less ability unions have to organize.
It’s really that simple.
The Biden administration is trying to sell its new rule as a way to protect workers and make it easier for them to qualify for benefits such as overtime pay and paid time off.
But Biden is ignoring the harm the rule will have on truckers, artists, Uber drivers and construction workers, to name a few. Many of these workers take these jobs because of the flexibility they offer. Becoming a full-time employee drastically changes that framework.
“In the Biden administration, it’s acceptable to sacrifice workers if it strengthens labor unions,” F. Vincent Vernuccio, president of the Institute for the American Worker, recently wrote in National Review.
Large companies that rely on contract workers like Uber and Lyft have criticized the rule, while claiming that they won’t be immediately affected by it – although that’s far from certain.
All bad ideas start in California
The effort to erase independent contractors started in California, where the worst big government ideas begin.
Biden’s new directive closely resembles a California law (AB 5), which took effect in 2020. Not surprisingly, Biden’s acting secretary of labor, Julie Su, came from California, where she oversaw the state’s labor and workforce bureaucracy.
California’s law has caused all sorts of headaches, and has faced numerous revisions and even a successful ballot measure that guaranteed some gig workers like drivers for Uber and Lyft could be considered contractors.
Rather than learn from what happened in California, Biden is forcing that state’s bad idea on the whole country.
“It threatens the flexibility of individuals to work when and how they want and could have significant negative impacts on our economy,” Marc Freedman, a vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement.
The Biden rule already has attracted legal opposition. The first lawsuit was filed by a group of freelance editors and writers who fear a loss of work due to the rule.
And several Republican members of Congress are planning to use the Congressional Review Act in an attempt to block the regulation.
In the meantime, Biden’s latest overreach is sure to add frustration for workers and business owners alike.
And it will make Bidenomics an even harder sell.
Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or on X, formerly Twitter: @ Ingrid_Jacques