In a recent statement, President Joe Biden accused his predecessor, Donald Trump, of supporting an insurrection. However, he left the decision of whether this disqualifies Trump from running for president to the courts.
Biden’s Stance on Trump’s Alleged Insurrection Support
Biden, who had previously refrained from commenting on the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling that disqualified Trump from the 2024 primary ballot in Colorado due to his alleged engagement in insurrection, broke his silence. “I think it’s self-evident that Trump is an insurrectionist,” Biden stated to reporters after disembarking from Air Force One in Milwaukee. He further added, “Whether the 14th Amendment applies, I’ll let the court make that decision. But he certainly supported an insurrection. There’s no question about it. None. Zero. He seems to be doubling down on everything.”
Unprecedented Ruling by Colorado Supreme Court
The groundbreaking 4-3 ruling, delivered by the court on Tuesday night, will remain on hold until January 4. Trump will have the opportunity to appeal the decision to the US Supreme Court, which could potentially resolve the issue for the entire nation. Colorado election officials have requested that the issue be resolved by January 5, the statutory deadline for setting the list of candidates for the GOP primary scheduled for March 5.
Colorado Supreme Court’s Opinion on Trump’s Actions
The majority of the court, in its unsigned opinion, stated that Trump did not “merely incite the insurrection,” but “he continued to support it by repeatedly demanding that Vice President (Mike) Pence refuse to perform his constitutional duty and by calling Senators to persuade them to stop the counting of electoral votes.” The majority further wrote, “These actions constituted overt, voluntary, and direct participation in the insurrection.”
Trump Campaign’s Response and GOP Support
In response to the ruling, the Trump campaign announced on Tuesday that it will “swiftly file an appeal” of the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision. Following the ruling, congressional Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and one of Trump’s GOP primary rivals, Vivek Ramaswamy, rallied in support of Trump. Johnson, a longtime Trump ally who has endorsed the former president in the 2024 race, called the ruling a “thinly veiled partisan attack.” He expressed his trust in the US Supreme Court to overturn this “reckless decision” and let the American people decide the next President of the United States. Ramaswamy described the ruling as “election interference” and pledged to withdraw himself from the Colorado ballot in support of Trump.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.