Donald Trump has been measured in his response to the Colorado Supreme Court disqualifying him from appearing on the state’s ballots in 2024, which may be the greatest sign of the magnitude of such a ruling, but his campaign came out swinging.
In a 4-3 ruling, the Colorado Supreme Court cited the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to declare the former president ineligible due to his actions related to the protest at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — the decision marks the first time in U.S. history that the 14th Amendment has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate.
The court stayed its decision until Jan. 4, expecting an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The majority opinion said:
“We conclude that the foregoing evidence, the great bulk of which was undisputed at trial, established that President Trump engaged in insurrection. President Trump’s direct and express efforts, over several months, exhorting his supporters to march to the Capitol to prevent what he falsely characterized as an alleged fraud on the people of this country were indisputably overt and voluntary. Moreover, the evidence amply showed that President Trump undertook all these actions to aid and further a common unlawful purpose that he himself conceived and set in motion: prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 presidential election and stop the peaceful transfer of power. […]
“We do not reach these conclusions lightly. We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.”
Trump did not directly address the decision while speaking in Waterloo, Iowa, on Tuesday night, but said, “crooked Joe Biden and the far-Left lunatics are desperate to stop us by any means necessary.”
“They’re willing to violate the U.S. Constitution at levels never seen before in order to win this election. Joe Biden is a threat to democracy,” he added. “They’re weaponizing law enforcement for high-level election interference because we’re beating them so badly in the polls.”
Trump’s legal spokeswoman Alina Habba said in a statement: “This ruling, issued by the Colorado Supreme Court, attacks the very heart of this nation’s democracy. It will not stand, and we trust that the Supreme Court will reverse this unconstitutional order.”
Trump Campaign spokesman Steven Cheung blasted the ruling and said an appeal would be filed.
“Unsurprisingly, the all-Democrat appointed Colorado Supreme Court has ruled against President Trump, supporting a Soros-funded, left-wing group’s scheme to interfere in an election on behalf of Crooked Joe Biden by removing President Trump’s name from the ballot and eliminating the rights of Colorado voters to vote for the candidate of their choice,” Cheung said in a statement. “Democrat Party leaders are in a state of paranoia over the growing, dominant lead President Trump has amassed in the polls. They have lost faith in the failed Biden presidency and are now doing everything they can to stop the American voters from throwing them out of office next November.”
“The Colorado Supreme Court issued a completely flawed decision tonight and we will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and a concurrent request for a stay of this deeply undemocratic decision. We have full confidence that the U.S. Supreme Court will quickly rule in our favor and finally put an end to these unAmerican lawsuits,” he added.
On Truth Social, Trump did not comment directly on the ruling but shared multiple responses to the court’s ruling including the following opinions:
George Washington University Law Professor Jonathan Turley: “This country is a powder keg and this court is just throwing matches at it…for people that say they are trying to protect democracy, this is hands down the most anti-democratic opinion I’ve seen in my lifetime.”
Washington Times Opinion Editor Charlie Hurt: “Democrats in Colorado are so afraid of allowing American voters to vote and pick the next president they are willing to do extra-judicial things, in order to thwart the people’s choice from being on the ballot. To them, preserving democracy requires destroying democracy.”
Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett: “This is ELECTION RIGGING…This is an effort, make no mistake, to deprive American voters of their right to make the decision as to who should be president. It is anti-democratic. It’s the equivalent of rigging the ballot box.”
Trump also shared this tweet from Speaker Mike Johnson: “Today’s ruling attempting to disqualify President Trump from the Colorado ballot is nothing but a thinly veiled partisan attack. Regardless of political affiliation, every citizen registered to vote should not be denied the right to support our former president and the individual who is the leader in every poll of the Republican primary. We trust the U.S. Supreme Court will set aside this reckless decision and let the American people decide the next President of the United States.”
Today’s ruling attempting to disqualify President Trump from the Colorado ballot is nothing but a thinly veiled partisan attack.
Regardless of political affiliation, every citizen registered to vote should not be denied the right to support our former president and the… https://t.co/yMm4wTb1K8
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) December 20, 2023
Here is a small sampling of the outrage being expressed over the Colorado Supreme Court’s efforts to keep Trump off the ballot, as seen on X:
The U.S. has put sanctions on other countries for doing exactly what the Colorado Supreme Court has done today
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) December 19, 2023
Have any Democrats spoken against their party’s authoritarianism? Absolutely terrifying Soviet-style campaign strategy they’re employing of destroying democracy and trying to imprison their political opponents.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) December 20, 2023
Donald Trump has never been found guilty of any crime, ever. Most certainly he has never been convicted of insurrection.
The real “war on democracy” is being waged in Colorado. #Shame
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) December 19, 2023
In other words, a state court has found Trump guilty of a federal crime with which he’s never even been charged, based on informal allegations of unlawful conduct that took place 2,000 miles from the court’s jurisdiction.
This is patently absurd. https://t.co/TX9SY1CrEX
— Ed Morrissey (@EdMorrissey) December 19, 2023
The Colorado decision removing Trump from the ballot is so absurd that the justices stayed their own ruling until January 4 and if Trump appeals it to the Supreme Court before then (which he will), his name will continue to appear on the ballot unless SCOTUS rules otherwise. pic.twitter.com/i9adXMhzc1
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) December 20, 2023
These actions are a declaration of war. A regime that outlaws elections — and this is a naked attempt to ban elections of candidates the regime opposes — is a regime that has declared war against its own citizens. https://t.co/pLKD6pg5jD
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) December 20, 2023
As Biden collapses in the polls, and Trump rises, Democrats are going to resort to increasingly desperate — and anti-democratic — means to ensure Trump can’t run, all while they insist that only they are the Guardians of Democracy.
This is playing with real fire: https://t.co/UFdoju77UW
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) December 20, 2023
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Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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