2024 GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy was widely mocked after he went to bat for former President Donald Trump following a ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court disqualifying Trump from the state's presidential ballot.
The state's Supreme Court issued the ruling on the grounds Trump violated Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which says former officeholders cannot run again if they’ve engaged in insurrection against the United States, an unprecedented and historic decision that takes into account Trump's actions on January 6, 2021, the day a mob of his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on the false premise the 2020 election had been stolen.
Ramaswamy was furious over the news and threatened to remove himself from Colorado’s Republican primary ballot in response to the ruling.
He said:
“I pledge to withdraw from the Colorado GOP primary ballot until Trump is also allowed to be on the ballot, and I demand that Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie and Nikki Haley do the same immediately – or else they are tacitly endorsing this illegal maneuver which will have disastrous consequences for our country."
In a video message, Ramaswamy said Section 3 was a response to members of the Confederacy who had faced sedition charges, arguing that this means Trump cannot be held to the same standard. He lashed out at the "unelected elite class" who he believes are denying the American people the opportunity to choose their leadership.
Ramaswamy said that Republicans who do not follow his lead are "complicit in this unconstitutional action" and called on them "to stand up with a spine" for the sake of "our country's future."
You can see Ramaswamy's post and hear what he said in the video below.
What Ramaswamy did not count on was that people would be thrilled at the possibility that he'd hurt his own chances to be President—very thrilled in fact.
The mockery was swift.
Colorado’s Supreme Court barred Trump from the state's Republican primary ballot in a narrow 4-3 decision.
The court upheld Trump's involvement in inciting the Capitol riot, claiming he fueled his supporters with baseless election fraud allegations, branding it an act of insurrection. Colorado’s decision made history by preventing Trump from pursuing the presidency, marking the first instance where a state barred him due to his role in the attack.
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment prohibits anyone who engaged in insurrection after pledging to support the Constitution while in federal office from seeking office. Colorado's Supreme Court concluded that this clause encompasses the presidency.
The court has temporarily suspended its ruling until January 4th, enabling Trump to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Trump’s team swiftly expressed their intentions to pursue this route.
