Local Democrats will join members of the Joe Biden campaign Saturday to open a new office in DeKalb County, which will offer coordinated campaign services dedicated to turning out voters.
State Sen. Kim Jackson, DeKalb County Democrats Vice Chair Karen Davenport and DeKalb County Young Dems President Malia Todd will be on hand to open the state’s 15th office. The opening ceremony will be at 1 p.m. at an undisclosed location in DeKalb County.
It comes after Biden delivered what has widely been described as a disastrous debate performance last week and just days after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in former President Donald Trump’s immunity claim. The court found that Presidents, not just Trump, are immune from criminal prosecutions for acts carried out in their official capacity as President, but they are not immune from acts carried out outside official duties.
Beyond broader implications for future presidential administrations, the ruling effectively delays the criminal case against Trump relating to his role in the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol until after the November General Election. The ruling has also already delayed sentencing for Trump’s 34 felony convictions relating to falsifying business records in a hush money scheme.
In an address to the nation following the ruling, Biden called it a “dangerous precedent” and argued it gives Trump carte blanche to act on some of his more extreme impulses.
“Today’s decision almost certainly means that there are virtually no limits on what a President can do,” Biden said in the address Monday. He added that it is now incumbent upon voters to determine whether Trump should again be entrusted to serve as Commander-in-Chief, “knowing he’ll be even more emboldened to do whatever he pleases, whenever he wants to do it.”
In a recent example of actions Democrats fear Trump would take against his political enemies, Trump earlier this week amplified another user’s post on his Truth Social platform calling for a televised military tribunal of former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney. The meme, with a picture of Cheney, included bold lettered words saying, “Elizabeth Lynne Cheney is guilty of treason. Retruth if you want televised military tribunals.”
Trump did, and Cheney responded.
“Donald — this is the type of thing that demonstrates yet again that you are not a stable adult — and are not fit for office,” she wrote on X in response.
Meanwhile, conversations continue about whether Biden should continue running for re-election, even though he is Democrats’ presumptive nominee and has secured nearly all of the party’s delegates. Biden has so far said that he has no intention of stepping down from the race, but confidence in his ability to win another term has been weakened since his debate performance last week, which saw the incumbent President often stumble over his words and lose his train of thought.
The office’s intent to provide coordinated campaign service aims to help down-ballot Democrats, which party officials fear could be at risk with Biden at the top of the ticket if it creates voter apathy.
