“It helps the Biden campaign make the argument,” said Democratic strategist Maria Cardona. “Essentially what the court is saying is that the president can argue that he is acting within his official duties and he could get Seal Team Six to take out his political opponent. And that’s freaking insanity.”

Those arguments won’t solve all of Biden’s problems. He must persuade voters who have increasing doubts about whether he can continue as commander-in-chief. A CBS News/YouGov poll taken after the debate found 72% of registered voters do not believe Biden has the mental and cognitive health to serve, up 7 percentage points from earlier in June.

What is virtually certain is that Trump won’t face another trial before the election.

“The most important takeaway,” said Cornell University Law School professor Michael Dorf, “is that there is no possibility of a trial before the election.”

Indeed, Trump hailed the court’s decision as a “BIG WIN FOR OUR CONSTITUTION AND DEMOCRACY” in a post on his social media website.

Trump remains a felon in the eyes of New York state, a fact Biden’s campaign hammered home to voters. But the Supreme Court’s opinion will only revive Trump’s “Teflon Don” image due to his ability to survive scandals that would have ended other politicians’ careers.

The timing of the court’s ruling was just as consequential as the decision itself.

Trump sought to delay his trial in the election interference case until after November. By taking up Trump’s immunity challenge, debating it for months and then issuing a ruling four months before Election Day, the court delivered the outcome the former president wanted.

Lower courts will now have to decide the bounds of Trump’s immunity as it relates to his efforts to reverse his defeat to Biden in 2020, a process that will almost certainly stretch beyond November.

That means Trump can schedule campaign rallies and fundraisers in an effort to seize on his advantage against Biden following last week’s debate without worrying much about the courts getting in the way.

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