GOP candidates call on SCOTUS to overturn Colorado Trump decision
- Trump was kicked off the Colorado ballot in 14th Amendment case
- GOP rivals say it's a violation of Trump's rights, decision is up to voters
- Haley: "I will beat him fair and square"
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(NewsNation) — There has been an overwhelming show of support for former President Donald Trump following Colorado’s Supreme Court decision to take him off the presidential primary ballot — even among those hoping to beat him.
The remaining candidates in the GOP race have rallied behind Trump, calling the historic decision in Colorado unfair and un-American.
At a town hall event in Agency, Iowa, on Tuesday, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said the last thing she wants to see is judges telling Americans who can and can’t be on the ballot.
“I will tell you that I don’t think Donald Trump needs to be president. I think I need to be president. I think that’s good for the country. But I will beat him fair and square. We don’t need judges making these decisions. We need voters to make these decisions,” Haley said.
Even former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie doesn’t think removing Trump from the ballot is a smart decision — and he’s Trump’s biggest critic.
Christie said he believes it would be bad for the country if Trump is barred from appearing on the ballot in Colorado, saying the former president needs to be put on trial for allegedly inciting an insurrection before his rights are taken away.
“I do not believe Donald Trump should be prevented from being the president of the United States by any court. I think he should be prevented from being president of the United States by the voters of this country,” Christie said.
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who has been a staunch supporter of the former president, released a statement Tuesday night, announcing he is withdrawing from the Colorado GOP primary ballot until Trump is allowed to run there.
Ramaswamy called on the other candidates to follow suit, calling the move by Colorado’s supreme court “unprecedented” and an “attack on democracy.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis released a statement calling on the Supreme Court of the United States to reverse Colorado’s ruling, but said Wednesday he would not withdraw in Colorado.
He accused “the left” of “abusing judicial power” to remove Trump from the ballot on what he believes is base-less grounds.
Trump has pledged to “swiftly” appeal the Colorado court’s decision, and the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to consider taking up the case.
