On Dec. 19, 2023, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that under section three of the 14th Amendment former President Donald Trump is ineligible to run for office and be on their ballot. The Attorney General of Maine has also come to this conclusion.
The amendment states “No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”
This is the right step forward for the United States. The former President needs to be held responsible for his conduct on Jan. 6, 2021. By doing nothing to punish Trump for his actions, courts not only condone it, but also encourage politicians to incite insurrections with no fear of consequence. No person in this country is above the law.
Arguably the most vocal critic of Trump, failed 2024 Presidential contestant and former Trump supporter Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) defended him.
“I do not believe Donald Trump should be prevented from being President of the United States by any court. I think he should be prevented from being President of the United States by the voters of this country,” he said.
What Christie fails to realize is that voters have made themselves loud and clear. In 2022, a red tsunami was predicted. But when Election Day arrived, Republicans didn’t see huge wins. They gained a slim nine seat majority in the House of Representatives. In the Senate, Republicans failed to pick up swing seats in Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, and lost the Pennsylvania race.
The only bright side for the Republicans was that they were held onto the swing seats of Wisconsin, North Carolina and Ohio. They didn’t do better in the Governor races either, losing Arizona, Maryland and Massachusetts.
Democrats maintained governorships in Wisconsin and Michigan. Although, to give credit where credit is due, Republicans did win back the Governorship of Nevada by 1.5%, which before 2018 hadn’t seen a Democrat victorious since 1994. On a local level, State House Democrats in Pennsylvania took back the House by one seat for the first time since 2010. Many Republicans blamed Trump for their severe underperformance.
“Since 2016, Republicans have done nothing but lose, and Republican voters are paying the price for it. Doubling down on losing isn’t just foolish. It’s a gift to the Democrats. It is time to turn the page. It is time to start winning so we can start governing again.” said former Governor Larry Hogan (R-MD) on X.
Trump has repeatedly driven what should have been easily won elections into close races or losses. If Republicans want to win, they need to drop Trump and move on. Not just so they have a better chance of winning, but because the country is at stake.
Removing Trump from the ballot is an unprecedented step. But the actions he took on Jan. 6 require an extreme response. Whether Trump is on the ballot or not will likely be decided by the Supreme Court which has a 6-3 conservative leaning. Whether you are Democrat or Republican, rich or poor, we must always remember that in the United States, nobody is above the law.
