Trump Removed From Maine Primary Ballot

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Facts

• Former US Pres. Donald Trump suffered another setback to his 2024 presidential election bid on Thursday after Maine's chief election official removed him from the state's primary ballot, citing Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars anyone who has 'engaged in insurrection or rebellion' from holding office.¹
• Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows ruled the Republican favorite ineligible due to his actions leading up to the Jan. 6 US Capitol riot in 2021.²
• In her decision, Bellows, a Democrat, claimed that Trump attempted to 'delegitimize a democratic election.' The official has, however, paused her ruling to give Maine's Superior Court time to weigh in amid an expected appeal from Trump's team.³
• On Dec. 19, Colorado disqualified Trump from its primary ballot, making it the first time in US history that a presidential candidate was struck off the race for allegedly engaging in insurrection. On Wednesday, however, a Michigan court refused to hear a case to disqualify the former president from that state's ballot.⁴
• A day before Bellows's ruling, Trump's attorneys had sought her removal from the case over allegations that she's biased against the former president. On social media, the secretary of state had earlier called for Trump’s impeachment for the riots.⁵
• Hours after the Maine ruling, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, also a Democrat, ruled in Trump's favor, deciding to keep him on the ballot. A Minnesota court, too, recently backed him.⁶

Sources: ¹FOX News, ²Wall Street Journal, ³CNN, ⁴Sky News, ⁵Washington Post and ⁶New York Times.

Narratives

• Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by FOX News. Democrats are playing the system to choke democracy in the US. Their hatred for Donald Trump is blinding them to the consequences of such political manipulation, as they attempt to paint Trump as an insurrectionist despite him having not even been found guilty of such a crime. Maine's ruling has only ensured that the 2024 election race has become ever more toxic.
• Anti-Trump narrative, as provided by openDemocracy. For all the victimhood Trump — or his supporters — will claim following Maine's decision, the fundamental fact is that Donald Trump weaponized his presidency to short-circuit America's most important democratic exercise. The consequences of his actions are now on display before the whole world, and he must not be allowed to return to the all-important position of president.

Predictions