Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/23pdf/23-939_e2pg.pdf
Page Number: 37.0

Cite as:  603 U. S. ____ (2024) 

29 

Opinion of the Court 

counted, the crowd gathered at the Capitol “broke through 
barriers cordoning off the Capitol grounds” and eventually 
“broke into the building.”  Id., at 230–231, ¶¶107, 109.

The alleged conduct largely consists of Trump’s commu-
nications in the form of Tweets and a public address.  The 
President  possesses  “extraordinary  power  to  speak  to  his
fellow citizens and on their behalf.”  Hawaii, 585 U. S., at 
701; cf. Lindke v. Freed, 601 U. S. 187, 191 (2024).  As the 
sole person charged by the Constitution with executing the 
laws of the United States, the President oversees—and thus 
will frequently speak publicly about—a vast array of activ-
ities that touch on nearly every aspect of American life.  In-
deed, a long-recognized aspect of Presidential power is us-
ing  the  office’s  “bully  pulpit”  to  persuade  Americans,
including by speaking forcefully or critically, in ways that
the  President  believes  would  advance  the  public  interest. 
He is even expected to comment on those matters of public 
concern that may not directly implicate the activities of the 
Federal  Government—for  instance,  to  comfort  the  Nation 
in the wake of an emergency or tragedy.  For these reasons, 
most  of  a  President’s  public  communications  are  likely  to 
fall comfortably within the outer perimeter of his official re-
sponsibilities.

There may, however, be contexts in which the President, 
notwithstanding the prominence of his position, speaks in 
an unofficial capacity—perhaps as a candidate for office or 
party leader.  To the extent that may be the case, objective
analysis of “content, form, and context” will necessarily in-
form  the  inquiry.  Snyder  v.  Phelps,  562  U. S.  443,  453 
(2011) (internal quotation marks omitted).  But “there is not 
always a clear line between [the President’s] personal and 
official  affairs.”  Mazars,  591  U. S.,  at  868.    The  analysis
therefore  must  be  fact  specific  and  may  prove  to  be  chal-
lenging.

The indictment reflects these challenges.  It includes only