The decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to hear Donald Trump’s immunity claim has “serious implications” for the high court’s legitimacy, said the former president’s niece, Mary Trump, on Thursday.
Disaster For Democracy: The decision showed “how low the Supreme Court has sunk,” said Mary Trump in a Substack post. This, along with Justice Clarence Thomas’ refusal to recuse himself, has “serious implications” for the court’s legitimacy, she said.
“I am going to be very honest. It's hard to accept that Donald's January 6th case may not be tried before the election, due to a conservative super-majority on the Court with three justices appointed by Donald himself,” Mary Trump, a psychologist, said.
The decision “could spell disaster for democracy,” Mary Trump said, adding that the main principle behind democracy in the U.S. is that no one, including even a former president, is above the law.
“By even entertaining Donald's immunity claim, the Court risks creating a precedent that shields future presidents from accountability,” she said.
The psychologist also noted that the decision has brought attention to political influence and corruption.
“It is a travesty that THREE out of 9 justices were appointed by Donald and they refuse to recuse themselves from this case,” she said.
Mary Trump noted that Thomas’ wife Ginni Thomas participated in the Jan. 6 rally that happened before the Capitol riots. Now, her husband will be part of the team that will decide the fate of Donald Trump, whose lies and insurrection she supported, the psychologist and podcaster said.
Mary Trump also said that the Supreme Court’s delay in hearing the case will push back the results of the federal trials pending against her uncle. Voters in some early-voting states might therefore cast their votes without knowing whether Donald Trump has been found guilty of inciting an insurrection, she said.
Justice Could Be Served: While calling the SCOTUS decision “corrupt and troubling,” Mary Trump said there are several reasons to believe that justice is actually coming.
If SCOTUS were to rule that Donald Trump is above the law, the decision would likely come before the election, she said.
“Such a ruling would be a shock to the system and inspire even more angry voters who see the corruption and double-dealing for what they are,” Mary Trump said.
“I think this would embolden Democrats to come out in even greater numbers.”
In addition, Mary Trump said the Supreme Court’s ruling will impact only federal charges and not state-level cases in New York and Georgia.
If convicted in the New York criminal case that alleges the former president paid hush money, “Donald could face jail time in New York, even if SCOTUS decides that Donald is immune from federal crimes,” she said.
“Simply put, Donald illegally attempted to influence the 2016 election by using illicit payments to silence those who could potentially harm his candidacy and keep information from voters — and this case is out of reach of the Supreme Court,” she added.
Vulnerability Evident: “Donald is showing some real vulnerability as the Republican primary advances,” Mary Trump said. She noted that, despite being the clear frontrunner in Michigan, 300,000 Republicans have refused to vote for him.
To make matters worse, Donald Trump has alienated Nikki Haley’s supporters by saying that they are “permanently barred from the MAGA camp,” Mary Trump noted. The former South Carolina governor’s supporters account for 30% of Republicans, she said.
“The real story about Michigan is not that Donald won—it's 1) that he is underperforming polls by significant margins and 2) he continues to prove that he's hurting his chances by alienating between 20 and 40 percent of Republican primary voters,” she added.
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