David Aaronovitch, a BBC host, is under fire for a controversial social media post suggesting that President Joe Biden should "hurry up" and have former President Donald Trump killed. The tweet, which Aaronovitch has since deleted, was a response to the recent Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity.
In the now-deleted post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Aaronovitch wrote: "If I was Biden, I'd hurry up and have Trump murdered on the basis that he is a threat to America's security #SCOTUS," according to a screenshot obtained by TMZ. The tweet followed a Supreme Court ruling that granted Trump immunity from prosecution for "official acts" during his presidency.
The Supreme Court's 6-3 decision overturned a previous ruling that denied Trump immunity from federal criminal charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. The ruling has been met with mixed reactions, and it did not clearly define what constitutes an official act. In her dissent, liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor argued that the ruling essentially meant that "a president's use of any official power for any purpose, even the most corrupt, is immune from prosecution."
Aaronovitch's tweet quickly sparked outrage online, with critics accusing him of inciting violence and violating the BBC's guidelines on employee impartiality. Journalist Dan Wootton was among those who condemned the post, stating in a video on X, "This is wrong on so many levels." He called for Aaronovitch to be fired, accusing him of "incitement to violence."
Another X user tweeted, "@DAaronovitch should be sacked immediately!! @BBC," reflecting a common sentiment among the post's detractors. The backlash was swift and intense, prompting Aaronovitch to delete the tweet and clarify his intentions.
In a follow-up post, Aaronovitch explained that his original tweet was meant as satire and that he removed it after the backlash. "There's now a far-right pile on suggesting that my tweet about the Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity is an incitement to violence when it's plainly satire. So I'm deleting it," he wrote. He added that the criticism he received provided "a map of some of the daftest people on this site."
Aaronovitch also took aim at his critics, noting that they appeared to have no issue with the Supreme Court's ruling itself. "Incidentally, an anthropologist might find it interesting to examine the hashtags, bios, and tweet histories of those who have been attacking me on here today. They reveal a rather extraordinary sub-culture," he tweeted.
When one X user suggested that his initial post wasn't actually made "in jest," Aaronovitch responded sarcastically, "No, you're quite right, I knew Joe Biden reads my tweets and was highly likely to act upon them. You idiot."
The Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity has significant implications for ongoing legal proceedings against Trump. The decision will further delay the case concerning Trump's attempts to subvert the 2020 election results. As the trial judge will now need to determine which actions were taken in Trump's capacity as president, the case is unlikely to proceed to trial before the November 5 election.