Donald Trump, who earlier this month threatened to jail his political opponents, upped his authoritarian rhetoric during a campaign rally at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
When speaking to supporters from the swing state, where both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have doubled efforts to capture the election count in November, Trump lamented the criticism aimed at the Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority and said it should be “illegal.”
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“They were very brave, the Supreme Court. Very brave. And they take a lot of hits because of it,” said the former president. “It should be illegal, what happens. You know, you have these guys like playing the ref, like the great Bobby Knight. These people should be put in jail the way they talk about our judges and our justices, trying to … sway their vote, sway their decision”
Trump, who appointed three of the Supreme Court’s six conservative justices, specifically praised the Supreme Court for overturning Roe v. Wade and allowing states to ban abortion, saying it “took a lot of courage.” He said abortion will forever remain a state issue, not a federal one, and complained that Democrats are upset about it. “All they can talk about is abortion. That’s all they talk about, and it really no longer pertains,” he said.
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“The issue of reproductive freedom certainly ‘pertains’ to women all across this country, especially as we learn women are losing their lives under Donald Trump’s extreme abortion bans,” Harris campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said in statement after his speech.
The former president also slammed Harris’ support for Supreme Court reform and baselessly claimed her efforts were an attempt to “rig the system.” The push for reform arrived after a series of ethics scandals involving some of the justices’ failure to disclose luxury gifts – private jet flights, superyacht trips, and more – from conservative donors. Trump claimed Harris “wants to pack the Supreme Court,” and add up to 16 seats; the vice president has not endorsed such a policy.
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Trump’s remarks about jailing those criticizing judges and justices align with his previous sentiments that he would be a dictator if re-elected but only on “Day One” in office. His desire to squash any hint of opposition if he were to return to the White House was again on full display in a Truth Social post made in early September, during which he threatened to jail people “involved in unscrupulous behavior” this election.
“WHEN I WIN, those people that CHEATED will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law, which will include long term prison sentences so that this Depravity of Justice does not happen again,” Trump raged on his social media platform. “We cannot let our Country further devolve into a Third World Nation, AND WE WON’T!” Since losing the 2020 election to President Joe Biden, Trump has blamed his demise on false claims of widespread election fraud – dangerous rhetoric that he has ramped up as election day approaches.
In July, the high court granted Trump broad immunity from prosecution stemming from his federal criminal charges involving his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the former president cannot be prosecuted for official acts committed during his time as president. Although its three liberal members dissented, the six conservative justices, three of whom were appointed by Trump, were in the majority.
Along with providing Donald Trump sweeping immunity from prosecution and eliminating federal protections for abortion rights, in recent years the nation’s highest court has rolled back climate protections, limited protections for LGBTQ+ Americans, ended college affirmative action policies, and allowed companies to provide thank-you payments to corrupt politicians.
