US: California rules in Trump's favor after Colorado, Maine setbacks
After Maine and Colorado in the United States (US) deemed Donald Trump ineligible to run for president, California's Secretary of State Shirley Weber refused to bar him from the presidential primary. This means Trump will remain on the ballot in the most populous American state, where electoral officials reportedly have little power to remove nominees. Maine disqualified Trump from the 2024 primary over the 2021 US Capitol attack on Thursday (local time), joining Colorado, which barred him earlier this month.
Why does this story matter?
To recall, Trump's supporters reportedly assembled at the US Capitol, Washington, on January 5-6, 2021, after the then-outgoing president alleged the 2020 presidential election was "stolen" by "radical-left Democrats." During a "Save America" event on January 6, 2021, Trump reiterated his claims of a "stolen election" and allegedly encouraged his followers to combat the alleged poll fraud. This speech by Trump during the event reportedly sparked the violence.
California secretary of state's argument for Trump
Weber, a Democrat, was reportedly under intense pressure to remove Trump's candidacy in the state for the 2024 presidential primary. On December 20, her Democrat colleague, California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, also urged Weber to "explore every legal option" to bar the former US president. However, Weber replied that she was guided by the "rule of law" and argued that it was up to the courts to decide whether a candidate should be disqualified.
What Maine secretary of state said about Trump
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows reportedly stated in her ruling the events of January 2021 "occurred at the behest of, and with the knowledge and support of, the outgoing president." "The US Constitution does not tolerate an assault on the foundations of our government, and (Maine law) requires me to act in response," read the ruling. However, Bellows suspended the ruling until the state's top court ruled on the issue.
Colorado court earlier declared Trump 'ineligible' for presidential bid
Last week, Colorado's top court disqualified 77-year-old Trump from the state primary ballot on December 19. With this, he became the first candidate in US history to be deemed ineligible for the presidency for engaging in insurrection. However, the former US president vowed to appeal the Colorado ruling at the Supreme Court and criticized ballot challenges as "undemocratic."
Vivek Ramaswamy labels ruling against Trump 'anti-American'
Reacting to the latest Maine ruling, Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy batted for Trump and asked Americans to "wake up." "A random person in Maine decides one day that Trump shouldn't be on the ballot, and there you go," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "It's unconstitutional. It's monarchical. It's anti-American. But it's happening. Time to wake up," he added.
Check out Ramaswamy's post here
Trump still leading opinion polls despite controversies
Moreover, the rulings in both American states invoked the US Constitution's 14th Amendment that bars anyone formerly sworn to protect the nation and later engages in insurrection from office. While he has been indicted in both a federal case and in Georgia for his role in attempting to overturn the 2020 election results, he hasn't been charged with insurrection related to the US Capitol attack. Despite the controversies, Trump still leads opinion polls in the Republican nomination race for 2024.
