Donald Trump is reportedly harboring quiet fears that the Supreme Court could align with Colorado, resulting in his removal from the 2024 Republican primary ballot. The state voted to exclude Trump, citing his alleged ineligibility for the presidency under the US Constitution’s insurrection clause. The decision was echoed by Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who invoked the 14th Amendment in her detailed 34-page ruling to remove the former president from the state ballot.
While Trump’s advisors are gearing up to challenge these decisions, The New York Times reveals that behind the former president’s outward confidence and bombastic rhetoric, there’s a burning fear. Trump, who has privately conveyed optimism about the Supreme Court ruling in his favor, is reportedly terrified that the judges may prioritize avoiding a “political” image, potentially ruling against him.
This unease persists despite his appointment of three conservative judges to the nation’s highest court. The revelation comes from a source with direct knowledge of Trump’s private comments, according to senior political correspondent Maggie Haberman and political reporter Johnathan Swan.
Bellows justified the decision to strike Trump from the primary ballot by pointing to his alleged role in inciting supporters to storm the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to prevent the certification of the 2020 election and the peaceful transfer of power.
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GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie criticized the move, arguing that it could transform the former president into a “martyr,” saying, “It makes him a martyr. You know, he’s very good at playing ‘Poor me, poor me,’ he’s always complaining. The poor billionaire from New York who’s spending everybody else’s money to pay his legal fees.”
In response to the decision and the release of the state’s justifications, a spokesperson for Trump issued a fiery statement, accusing Bellows of being a “virulent leftist” and a “hyper-partisan Biden-supporting Democrat.” The statement characterized the situation as an ongoing attempt to steal an election and disenfranchise American voters, alleging unconstitutional actions by Democrats in blue states to remove Trump’s name from the ballot.
Colorado, in its decision, also cited the events of January 6, 2021, asserting that Trump violated the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution. The amendment stipulates that individuals who have “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” or provided support to those involved in an insurrection are ineligible for office. Behind the bravado and bombastic rhetoric, it appears that Donald Trump is a man with genuine concerns about his political future.
