Observers on Colorado verdict: "Trump celebrates"
Donald Trump is not allowed to run in the primary elections in Colorado, the state's Supreme Court has ruled. Observers from his own and the Democratic camp agree: nothing better could have happened to his fundraising campaign.
According to party donors and political analysts in the USA, the court disqualification of former US President Donald Trump from the primaries in the US state of Colorado will fire up his political base and fill his campaign coffers. "Trump is celebrating," said John Morgan, a lawyer from Florida and important fundraiser for Democratic US President Joe Biden. The ruling opens up a goldmine for the Republican Trump.
The Supreme Court of Colorado had ruled that the former US president was excluded from the 2024 primaries. The Supreme Court based its decision on the 14th Amendment, a rarely used insurrection clause in the US constitution. Because of his role in his supporters' storming of the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, the Republican frontrunner cannot stand for election in next year's primaries.
According to Republican campaign strategist Ford O'Connell, the court ruling in Colorado will reinforce Trump's long-standing narrative that he is the victim of a politically motivated legal process. This is likely to push undecided Republican voters into his corner. "If the indictments give Trump a significant lead in the primaries, it will end any grassroots debate about who the Republican presidential nominee for 2024 will be," said O'Connell.
Trump plans to appeal the Colorado ruling to the US Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has a conservative majority of six to three judges. Three of the judges were appointed by Trump himself.
Trump is currently slightly ahead
Trump's election campaign has called on his supporters to donate money to fight back against the "tyrannical" decision of the court in Colorado. According to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, Trump is slightly ahead nationwide in a direct duel with Biden before the election on November 5, 2024.
However, the Colorado ruling could also help Democrats appeal to key independent voters who believe Trump incited a riot on January 6, 2021. In a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted Dec. 5-11, 57 percent of independent voters said it was believable that Trump "tried to incite a mob to attack the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021." Only 30 percent thought this was implausible. In contrast, around 70 percent of Republicans surveyed thought this claim was "not credible", while 23 percent of Republicans said it was credible. The rest were not sure about the question.
When asked if Trump was an insurgent, US President Joe Biden told reporters that it was "obvious. You've seen it all for yourself." "Whether the 14th Amendment applies or not, we'll let the court decide," Biden continued. "But he certainly supported an insurrection. There's no doubt about that. None. Zero."
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Source: www.ntv.de
