Donald Trump will not be on the ballot for the 2024 primary election in the US state of Colorado. The state Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled the former president incompetent for his role in the 2021 Capitol storming.
The Supreme Court ruled that Trump “disqualified” himself from running for the US presidency. This is because he tried to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. This is noteworthy, because never before has a presidential candidate been “sidelined” in this way.
The court based its ruling on a clause that was almost never used in the US Constitution. This provision prohibits officials involved in “rebellion or rebellion” from holding office.
Trump is the first presidential candidate in American history to be ineligible to enter the White House under this provision.
During a speech on January 6, 2021, Trump incited the mob that stormed the Capitol. The court said Trump was not protected by the First Amendment to the US Constitution. This amendment guarantees freedom of expression.
The ruling applies only to the March 5 Republican primary. But observers say it is also likely to affect Trump’s standing in the general election scheduled for November 5. However, Colorado residents largely vote Democratic, American election forecasters say.
Ontvang meldingen bij nieuws over Donald Trump
Trump will appeal
The case was brought by a group of voters in Colorado. They argued that Trump should be disqualified because he incited his supporters to attack the Capitol. The group of voters considered this a failed attempt to obstruct the transfer of presidential power.
The Trump campaign described the court’s ruling as “flawed” and “undemocratic” and announced that it would appeal to the US Federal Supreme Court. The conservative majority on that court (six conservatives compared to three liberals) includes three justices appointed by Trump.
