Trump’s opponents are on his side

For now, Republican primary candidates are united in rejecting a ruling that would ban Trump from voting in Colorado.

WASHINGTON DC – Republican presidential candidates are joining former US President Donald Trump’s criticism of a Colorado Supreme Court ruling on Tuesday (December 19). Accordingly, Trump was not allowed to appear on the state’s presidential ballot.

In a historic 4-3 ruling, a Colorado court ruled Tuesday that Trump was disqualified under a provision of the 1868 constitution that bars insurgents from holding office. The reason for this is the uprising on January 6, 2021, when pro-Trump mobs stormed the US capital to block Joe Biden’s certificate of victory.

Trump rival Ramasamy: Verdict in Colorado “attack on democracy”

After the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision, Trump’s rivals in the GOP presidential race began speaking out, with most criticizing the decision. Trump’s most impassioned defense came from businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who said in a nearly 400-word statement that the Colorado Supreme Court ruling shows “what a *real* attack on democracy looks like.”

Ramasamy, who polls 5 percent in Iowa, has also vowed to withdraw from the GOP primary in Colorado if Trump is not allowed to appear on the ballot. He urged DeSantis, Christie and Haley to “do so immediately — or they will quietly support this illegal maneuver that will have disastrous consequences for our country.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) did not mention Trump by name, but suggested without citing evidence that Colorado Supreme Court justices are politically motivated.

“The left invokes ‘democracy’ to justify its exercise of power, even if it means abusing judicial power to disqualify a candidate from election on unqualified legal grounds. SCOTUS needs to reverse this,” DeSantis wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Nikki Haley wants to beat Trump at the ballot box

Former U.N. Sen. Nikki Haley, who has gained momentum in recent weeks and threatened to overtake DeSantis as the front-runner Republican challenger to Trump, told reporters in Iowa on Tuesday that Trump must be defeated at the ballot box, not in court.

“I’m telling you, I don’t believe Donald Trump should be president. I think he should be president. I think it’s good for our country,” Haley said. “But I’ll beat him fair and square. We don’t need judges to make these decisions; we have Voters are needed.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), one of Trump’s fiercest critics, said he learned of the decision while in the car on his way to a campaign rally in New Hampshire. Christie later said he wanted to read the full decision but said it was “probably premature.”

For Christie, a Republican Trump critic, it’s “too early” to exclude Trump from the race.

“I don’t believe any court should stop Donald Trump from becoming president of the United States,” Christie said. “Fundamentally, I don’t believe a court should disqualify a candidate for president without a trial. . . . I think it would cause a lot of anger in this country if you take away the will of the people. I’d like it if they chose to disqualify him.”

The only Republican presidential candidate to accept the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling is former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who has criticized Trump. Hutchinson, who did not qualify for the past two GOP primary debates, noted that he raised the scene during the first presidential debate in Milwaukee.

“The fact that he supported a rebellion will haunt his candidacy,” Hutchinson wrote in X.

Republican primaries: Trump has a huge lead in the polls

Recent polls in Iowa and New Hampshire show Trump overwhelmingly ahead of the GOP field. Several GOP lawmakers joined Trump in issuing statements Tuesday criticizing the Colorado ruling.

The former president railed against the decision in posts on his social media site, Truth Social, on Tuesday evening, citing conservative news outlets that defended him. Early Wednesday morning, “Shame on our country!!!” and “A sad day in America!!!” .: A SAD DAY IN AMERICA) He continued his streak with several all-caps posts. A call for donations after the Colorado verdict.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre declined to comment on Wednesday’s ruling, saying: “The president is not involved. We are not involved in that. It is a legal process,” he said.

Joe Biden did not comment on the ruling in Colorado

US President Joe Biden also declined to comment on the case when asked by reporters on Wednesday, but said Trump “definitely supported an insurgency”.

“I’ll leave it up to the courts to decide whether the 14th Amendment applies,” Biden said.

The Colorado decision comes as courts in other states consider similar cases. If other states come to the same conclusion, it will be difficult for Trump to secure the Republican nomination and win in November.