# About trump's immunity fantasy **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [January 17, 2024, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-trumps-immunity-fantasy/996229 "2024-01-17T15:45:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2024, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-trumps-immunity-fantasy/996229/21 "2024-01-17T20:11:19Z")
I’m a distant relative of the monkey. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2024, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-trumps-immunity-fantasy/996229/22 "2024-01-17T20:20:18Z")
> [@bump](#): > > In other words, he’s just the mushroom head sticking out of the giant mat of fungus. Well, the mushroom is the fruiting body of the mycelium, so…I don’t know how far you want to take that analogy but I feel as if it an offense to the multiple orders comprising _basidiomataic_ fungi, many of which are beautiful and nutritious. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2024, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-trumps-immunity-fantasy/996229/23 "2024-01-17T20:43:19Z")
But few of whom have served on the Palatine Guard. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2024, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-trumps-immunity-fantasy/996229/24 "2024-01-18T02:06:58Z")
Well, if the Supreme’s rule in favor of absolute immunity, I personally would be a scared little trumpy waiting for the Biden seals coming after me. YMMV ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2024, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-trumps-immunity-fantasy/996229/25 "2024-01-18T02:13:09Z")
I am no lawyer but I’m pretty sure that SEAL Team 6, being a governmental unit, being ordered to murder someone at presidential behest, would be a federal issue - it couldn’t be state-level. Of course, Trump’s assuming that ST-6 behaves like some mindless robot that just does as it’s told. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2024, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-trumps-immunity-fantasy/996229/26 "2024-01-18T03:50:36Z")
Has anyone pointed out to Trump, by using his own logic, wouldn’t it make sense for Biden to order Trump’s assassination? In fact, why bother with Seal Team Six; just order the Secret Service detail assigned to Trump to do it… ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2024, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-trumps-immunity-fantasy/996229/27 "2024-01-18T04:49:07Z")
At the risk of derailing the thread, you really need to understand the mindset. It’s all “It works for us but won’t for them.” I had the same issue when pointing out to Trumpers back in Jan-2021 (who were demanding that Pence use his VP powers to declare Trump president) that Biden, veep at the time, could have made Hillary Clinton president in Jan-2017 with the same logic. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2024, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-trumps-immunity-fantasy/996229/28 "2024-01-18T19:18:46Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > You shouldn’t fear the law when you’re making honest decisions about the interests of the nation, but you should if you’re just pulling whatever shit you feel like pulling. I’m comfortable with letting the courts sort our which is which, which is exactly what Trump doesn’t want. That’s a pretty naiive (to put it nicely) attitude. Privileged people also tell people of color not to fear the law if they haven’t done anything wrong. _Maybe_ the Supreme Court does the right thing, but it can take time for a case to wind it’s way through the system. I think you have to consider everything like this in terms of it being used for good and being used for evil. And it being used for evil is more likely, because people using it for good will consider the implications more. I think so far, the higher (but not necessarily lower) courts have largely done the right thing. But you never know when you’ll have another _Bush v. Gore_ moment. > [@bump](#): > > I would hope they’d refuse those orders- not following obviously illegal orders is something they drum into military people of all ranks. This also scares me. I would hope so, too, but… In my state, at one point, the governor ordered all state agencies/executive branch employees to implement mandatory masking. The State Police refused. They just disagreed, and refused. Eventually they worked out some sort of “compromise” but they got there by the state police refusing to follow an order that applied to them. Now, state police are not trained in the same way that the military is in terms of following orders, but if Trump’s presidency taught us nothing else, it showed how fragile our system of checks and balances can be. There are so many ways that Congress can check the president’s power, but they’re useless when Congress won’t use those checks even against the most insane or corrupt acts of the president. Trump’s rhetoric is that if he isn’t in charge, the nation will be destroyed. I think the true believers might think that the way to defend the nation is to keep Trump in power, and that following an illegal order is less bad than letting the nation fall. Plus there will be some bullshit fig leaf rationalization for why it’s not illegal, which the true believers will believe. I was very surprised and relieved by the election officials in 2016 who stood up to Trump, and even recorded his dumbass coercive phone calls. So, in the long run, I’m not in favor of the idea of presidential immunity, but in the short term, if I were Obama or Biden, I’d stay out of certain states after leaving office, especially if Trump has returned to power. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2024, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-trumps-immunity-fantasy/996229/29 "2024-01-18T19:24:48Z")
> [@eschrodinger](#): > > That’s a pretty naiive (to put it nicely) attitude. Privileged people also tell people of color not to fear the law if they haven’t done anything wrong. _Maybe_ the Supreme Court does the right thing, but it can take time for a case to wind it’s way through the system. We’re not talking about some guy on a street corner. We’re talking about the President of the United States. If you’ve gotten to the point where POTUS can’t expect the protection of a little privilege, everything is already fucked. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2024, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-trumps-immunity-fantasy/996229/30 "2024-01-18T22:29:20Z")
I assume Trump would not only murder his Democratic opponents, those Republicans who disagree with him, but also most of the Supreme Court. Then he replaces the dead Justices with his patsies and controls the country. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2024, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-trumps-immunity-fantasy/996229/31 "2024-01-18T23:09:30Z")
Has a horse ever been elected Consul? I mean, apart from Mitch McConnell… ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2024, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-trumps-immunity-fantasy/996229/32 "2024-01-18T23:21:04Z")
From Truth Social yesterday: > [@](#): > > EVEN EVENTS THAT “CROSS THE LINE” MUST FALL UNDER TOTAL IMMUNITY, OR IT WILL BE YEARS OF TRAUMA TRYING TO DETERMINE GOOD FROM BAD. THERE MUST BE CERTAINTY. EXAMPLE: YOU CAN’T STOP POLICE FROM DOING THE JOB OF STRONG & EFFECTIVE CRIME PREVENTION BECAUSE YOU WANT TO GUARD AGAINST THE OCCASIONAL “ROGUE COP” OR “BAD APPLE.” SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO LIVE WITH “GREAT BUT SLIGHTLY IMPERFECT.” So following this logic, presidents must have immunity even though there may be one who goes rogue and destroys democracy or is a bad apple and kills his opponents. Just a chance you’ve got to take. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2024, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-trumps-immunity-fantasy/996229/33 "2024-01-18T23:26:35Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > Has anyone pointed out to Trump, by using his own logic, wouldn’t it make sense for Biden to order Trump’s assassination? In fact, why bother with Seal Team Six; just order the Secret Service detail assigned to Trump to do it… Biden could order a drone strike on Mar-a-Lago. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-trumps-immunity-fantasy/996229/34 "2024-01-19T00:02:55Z")
The differenceis Biden won’t, and trump totally would. As he just spat onto his BS platform as cited a couple posts ago: > I trump must be given total power with no checks whatsoever. If I will it, it _is_ right and all must obey on pain of imprisonment. He is clearly announcing his intentions. Will America listen? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-trumps-immunity-fantasy/996229/35 "2024-01-19T00:08:03Z")
I truly cannot tell if Trump is tweeting, himself, or if some parody prankster is typing on his account. What days. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-trumps-immunity-fantasy/996229/36 "2024-01-19T05:27:33Z")
> [@aurora\_maire](#): > > From Truth Social yesterday: > > > [@](#): > > > > EVEN EVENTS THAT “CROSS THE LINE” MUST FALL UNDER TOTAL IMMUNITY, OR IT WILL BE YEARS OF TRAUMA TRYING TO DETERMINE GOOD FROM BAD. THERE MUST BE CERTAINTY. EXAMPLE: YOU CAN’T STOP POLICE FROM DOING THE JOB OF STRONG & EFFECTIVE CRIME PREVENTION BECAUSE YOU WANT TO GUARD AGAINST THE OCCASIONAL “ROGUE COP” OR “BAD APPLE.” SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO LIVE WITH “GREAT BUT SLIGHTLY IMPERFECT Who wrote this? I missed where you said ---
**Author:** ![Disinfectus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/disinfectus/32/11085_2.png) [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-trumps-immunity-fantasy/996229/37 "2024-01-19T05:37:19Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > Who wrote this? I’ve long wondered if Stephen Miller is the true author, or at originator of Trump’s more psychopathic ideas. I think those ideas resonate with other psychopaths and Trump adores how they help grow his base. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-trumps-immunity-fantasy/996229/38 "2024-01-19T05:52:03Z")
I meant that aurora\_maire just posted some quote from Truth Social but didnt say who actually posted it. Was I supposed to assume it was from Trump? Because I believe more people than him are allowed to post there. So who is it a quote of? Am i the only one who thinks its important to indicate who is being quoted? There is waaaay too much assuming in the internet world today. And plenty of it here on the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-trumps-immunity-fantasy/996229/39 "2024-01-19T06:20:37Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > At the risk of derailing the thread, you really need to understand the mindset. It’s all “It works for us but won’t for them.” I don’t feel there’s any real logic or legal theory at work here. To modern right wingers, it’s all about power. If people obey you when you give orders then you have power to give those orders. If you can break the law and people cannot enforce the law then you have the power to break the law. There’s no moral principles at work. It’s not a question of right or wrong; it’s all a question of how much power you have. These people see obeying the law as an admission of weakness. I feel these right wingers are misreading the situation. They think they’re more powerful than they actually are. They see other people obeying the law and they assume this must mean those people know they’re weak. It never occurs to them that other people would choose to obey the law. So these right wingers don’t worry about how they are damaging the legal system. They feel that they’re the strongest predators around. What they don’t realize is that other people are stronger but are choosing not to use their strength. The legal system is protecting the right wingers because it restrains their opponents. But the right wingers won’t see this until they have destroyed the legal system and society actually is reduced to a contest over who has the most power. That’s when the right wingers will discover that the unrestrained power of their opponents is greater than their own. This has happened several times in history. A ruling class doesn’t understand how vulnerable it really is it’s being led up to the scaffold. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2024, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-trumps-immunity-fantasy/996229/40 "2024-01-19T06:52:09Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > Who wrote this? I missed where you said Oops, forgot to credit Donald Trump. Don’t let him know. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-trumps-immunity-fantasy/996229.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-trumps-immunity-fantasy/996229.md?page=3)