US Presidential Election 2024: Second State Declares Donald Trump Ineligible to Run

“He is not fit to be president.” In accordance with the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which exempts people who participated in “insurrection” from any public liability, the US state of Maine announced Thursday that Donald Trump will not appear on the Republican primary ballot for the 2024 presidential election. And this comes a week after a similar decision in Colorado in connection with the 2021 storming of the Capitol.

“I do not come to this conclusion lightly,” Maine Democratic Clerk of Elections Shanna Bellows said in a written document, assessing that the attack on the Capitol, the seat of the US Congress, was carried out “at the order, with the full knowledge and support of the outgoing president.” According to her, the decision will be “suspended” in the event of a legal challenge.

This is as it should be, because Donald Trump’s representative immediately announced the businessman’s desire to challenge the decision in court. The latter could be the subject of a final appeal to the US Supreme Court.

Donald Trump quickly denounced the decision made by what he called a “radical leftist” who is a “strong supporter” of Joe Biden, the incumbent and, barring any surprises, the next Democratic nominee in the 2024 election.

“We are witnessing an attempt to rig the election and deprive the American voter of the right to vote,” Donald Trump further condemned through his campaign team.

The Republican billionaire won one of the primary voters (responsible for electing the American president and vice president) in Maine in 2020, and so Shanna Bellows’ decision, if it does go through, would have serious consequences in the event of a close presidential election.

Democrats ‘ready for anything’

On January 6, 2021, hundreds of Donald Trump’s supporters violently stormed the Capitol, the sanctuary of American democracy, in an attempt to stop the certification of his Democratic opponent Joe Biden’s victory. Donald Trump and his most ardent supporters are still challenging the results of the 2020 election without evidence.

The former president was indicted on August 1 at the federal level and then on August 14 in Georgia in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election. the path of the big favorite in the Republican primaries.

While Michigan and Minnesota rejected them, the Colorado Supreme Court was the first to declare Donald Trump inadmissible last week for his actions during the storming of the Capitol.

Maine’s decision, like Colorado’s, at this stage affects only the two-state Republican primaries scheduled for March 5th among about fifteen states during Super Tuesday.

“Maine voters should be able to decide who wins an election, not the Secretary of State,” criticized Susan Collins, a Republican senator from Maine, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), calling for the decision to be “reversed.” Like her, many Republican elected officials condemned the new disqualification decision.

“The Democrats really like it. democracy that they are willing to do anything to prevent voters from voting against their opponent,” accused Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

“This opens Pandora’s box. Can a Republican Secretary of State Disqualify Biden from the Election? Because he let 8 million people through illegally,” commented Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Trump’s opponent in the Republican primaries, referring to the migrant crisis on the border between the United States and Mexico.

“Unknown Land”

On the Democratic side, Jared Golden, who was elected from Maine to the House of Representatives, also criticized the decision: “We are a nation of rights, and therefore, until he is found guilty, he should be allowed to vote.” he said on X, indicating that he voted to indict the former president for his role in the attack on the Capitol.

In their decision ordering election officials to remove Donald Trump’s name from the ballot in the 2024 Republican primary, Colorado judges said they were “aware of moving into unknown territory.”

Joe Biden reacted to the decision by believing that Donald Trump “definitely supported the insurrection.” “There’s no doubt about it, none,” he said.

The Colorado Republican Party on Wednesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the decision, which could allow the issue to be resolved in all states where similar proceedings have been filed.

Until the Supreme Court rules, former President Trump’s name will still have to be included on the ballot in both Colorado and Maine.