Former President Donald Trump praised the Michigan Supreme Court for denying an appeal Wednesday that would boot him off the Republican primary ballot.
“The Michigan Supreme Court has strongly and rightfully denied the Desperate Democrat attempt to take the leading Candidate in the 2024 Presidential Election, me, off the ballot in the Great State of Michigan. This pathetic gambit to rig the Election has failed all across the Country, including in States that have historically leaned heavily toward the Democrats,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform.
He then took the opportunity to bash Colorado, so far, the only state to rule Trump ineligible to appear on the primary ballot. The U.S. Supreme Court is likely to hear an appeal of this ruling, according to Slate. In addition, the Colorado justices have received death threats, and the state GOP says that it will move to a caucus system if the court’s decision keeping him off the ballot stands.
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“This pathetic gambit to rig the Election has failed all across the Country, including in States that have historically leaned heavily toward the Democrats. Colorado is the only State to have fallen prey to the scheme. That 4-3 Colorado Supreme Court decision, which they themselves stayed, thus keeping me on the ballot as we go up to the U.S. Supreme Court, is being ridiculed and mocked all over the World,” Trump continued.
“We have to prevent the 2024 Election from being Rigged and Stolen like they stole 2020 – just look at the complete mess we have as a result with Crooked Joe Biden violently destroying everything in his sight, from our once-great Economy to our once-fair Justice System. We have to save our Country from decline and the Radical Left. Make America Great Again!”
The Michigan Supreme Court ruling may not be the slam-dunk win Trump appears to make it out to be. The case before the court called on Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to make sure all candidates are eligible to serve. Plaintiffs said Trump was ineligible under the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment, specifically the Insurrection Clause.
The court’s ruling, however, didn’t engage with the question as to whether or not the events of January 6, 2021 counted as an insurrection, that Trump was responsible, nor that Trump was barred by the clause. Instead, the court upheld a ruling from the state’s Court of Appeals that it was not up to Benson to determine a candidate’s eligibility, according to The Detroit News.
Justice Elizabeth Welch, in her dissent, did say the ruling lets “appellants to renew their legal efforts as to the Michigan general election later in 2024 should Trump become the Republican nominee for president of the United States or seek such office as an independent candidate.”
The Michigan Supreme Court ruling comes a week after recordings leaked of Trump urging Republican members of the Board of Canvassers in Wayne County, Michigan, to not certify the 2020 election. The recordings, obtained by The Detroit News, have Trump offering to provide lawyers if the two board members declined to sign the certification.
“We’ve got to fight for our country,” Trump told the board members. “We can’t let these people take our country away from us.”