BBC presenter David Aaronovitch tweets ‘I’d have Trump murdered’

A BBC radio presenter has sparked anger after saying that US President Joe Biden should have Donald Trump ‘murdered’.

David Aaronovitch, who presents Radio 4’s Briefing Room show, took to X/Twitter yesterday: ‘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‘.

Critics claimed Mr Aaronovitch had broken the corporation’s rules around employee impartiality. 

However, he stressed the post was ‘satirical’ before he deleted the tweet 90 minutes later blaming a ‘far right pile on’.

It comes after the US Supreme Court ruled that former US presidents have broad immunity from prosecution, extending the delay in the Washington criminal case against Trump on charges he plotted to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss and all but ending prospects the former president could be tried before the November election.

In a historic 6-3 ruling, the court’s conservative majority, including three justices appointed by Trump, narrowed the case against him and returned it to a trial court to determine what is left of special counsel Jack Smith’s indictment. 

Spectator columnist Steven Barratt wrote on X/Twitter: ‘Impartiality’ may not be in the best of health at the BBC…’

A second person said: ‘This post alone is bad enough but even worse when you remember that David is a BBC presenter.’

Another person urged him to delete the post and said: ‘Delete this tweet David. You advocating murder, publicly, and think it is ok .’

Responding to the critic, he said the post was ‘satirical and based on today’s 6-3 ruling on presidential immunity’.

When one follower attempted to add a ‘community note’ to his post, he said: ‘That community note should be interesting. 

‘But before you go to the effort of writing it, try reading the arguments, the ruling and the dissent in the Supreme Court’s judgment on presidential immunity delivered today.’ 

Posting 90 minutes when he deleted the post, Mr Aaronovitch said: ‘There is 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 a satire’.

‘So I’m deleting it. If nothing else though it’s given me a map of some of the daftest people on this site.

‘Note by the way that not one of them has a problem with the ruling itself.’

The US Supreme Court’s decision highlighted how the US justices have been thrust into an impactful role in the November presidential election. 

Earlier, they had rejected efforts to bar him from the ballot because of his actions following the 2020 election. 

The court last week also limited an obstruction charge faced by Trump and used against hundreds of his supporters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. 

The ex-president’s team argued that Trump, and any president, must have absolute immunity from prosecution over actions taken while in office or it could impair important decision-making. 

The split among the justices also in many ways mirrored the political divide in the country.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court: ‘Under our constitutional structure of separated powers, the nature of presidential power entitles a former president to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority. 

 ‘And he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts. There is no immunity for unofficial acts.’

Trump posted in all capital letters on his social media network shortly after the decision was released: ‘BIG WIN FOR OUR CONSTITUTION AND DEMOCRACY. PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!’

However, President Biden warned the Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity set a ‘dangerous precedent’ that could turn presidents into kings and called on the American people to ‘dissent’ by rejecting Donald Trump in November’s election.

Speaking from the White House on Monday, he said: ‘This nation was founded on the principle that there are no kings in America. Each, each of us is equal before the law. No one, no one is above the law. Not even the president of the United States.’

He said the court’s decision meant there were now virtually no limits on what a president could do.

‘It’s a dangerous precedent, because the power of the office will no longer be constrained by the law,’ Biden said. ‘The only limits will be self-imposed by the president alone.’ 

The 81-year-old was making his first set of remarks at the White House since his shaky debate against Trump last week led to calls for him to step aside as the Democratic Party’s standard-bearer for the election.

After he stumbled over his words on the Atlanta debate stage, his remarks and comportment are being scrutinized for signs that he is up to the job of running for re-election and of governing the country for four more years.

Biden said he sided with liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who wrote she feared for US democracy in her dissent in the 6-3 decision.

Meanwhile, the BBC introduced new social media rules in September 2023 following controversary around Gary Lineker and his political tweets. The updated guidelines added more limitations on presenters expressing party political opinions.

The BBC has been approached for comment.