Trump banned from Colorado ballot - Will it backfire?

On the 20th of December 2023, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Donald Trump was ineligible to stand as the Republican candidate in the 2024 election. This outcome hinged on the decision that the former president had engaged in an insurrection in January 2021, when Mr Trump, the court deemed, attempted to regain presidential control by force, ordering his supporters to regain power by storming the US Capitol building.

Similar attempts to disqualify Donald Trump on a state-by-state basis have failed in 3 other states, including Michigan, Minnesota & New Hampshire. However, this successful run for Mr Trump ended with a 4-3 majority in the Colorado Supreme Court, inciting violent outlashes across social media from Republican supporters.

However, many have argued that this decision has given the former president a lifeline. Donald Trump has based his campaign on “overthrowing the evil Fascist Democrats” and removing “crooked, senile Joe Biden” from office. The decision to remove Mr Trump from the Colorado ballot allows Mr Trump to portray himself as a victim if not a martyr of Democratic “oppression”.

All seven judges in the Colorado Supreme Court were elected by Democratic governors, allowing Mr Trump to substantiate claims that the Democrats fear the former president’s early lead in the polls and are attempting to conquer this existential threat to Democratic leadership by pettily disqualifying him from being eligible as a candidate in November 2024.

Moreover, this decision has not only allowed Mr Trump to rally Republican supporters on the basis of what he refers to as “an unconstitutional attempt at an undemocratic election”, but is also a stark reminder to the Democrats that the Republican Party holds an outstanding 6-3 majority in the Supreme Court, where Mr Trump is expected to appeal the decision, thereby rendering the trial a futile attempt at ensuring Democratic success in next year’s election.

Furthermore, Donald Trump’s disqualification from running as president in Colorado has increased the former president’s support in the Republican primaries, as ‘loyal disciples’ of the 73-year old within the Republican Party, such as Vivek Ramaswamy (who may have a longer term agenda to do so), have pledged allegiance to Mr Trump by threatening to withdraw their candidacies in the face of what they argue to be a botched and rigged trial.

Finally, Mr Trump’s ban from the Colorado ballot is paltry as a presidential candidate cannot be disqualified on a state by state basis, and in order to definitively discount Donald Trump from running from presidency, a nationwide majority (25 states or more) would need to be attained, an unrealistic figure given the number of Republican state strongholds in the United States. It therefore appears that Mr Trump will, in spite of this setback, be permitted to run for president in November 2024.

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Article Writer - LexaNews Journalist