Column: A seismic Colorado court decision just upended Trump’s campaign. Here’s what comes next
Los Angeles TimesDec 20, 2023
The Facts
The Supreme Court of Colorado on Tuesday disqualified former Pres. Donald Trump from running for office again in the state, ruling he had incited an insurrection and supported the US Capitol's siege in 2021.
The court applied Section 3 of the 14th Amendment in the ruling, which bars people who engage in insurrection after taking an oath to support the US Constitution, and ordered Trump's removal from Colorado's Republican primary ballot.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
The following 16 days will be a real rollercoaster for the American political landscape. The narrow way out given to Donald Trump by the Denver court has been sealed until SCOTUS comes to a decision. Keeping the US president out of the ambit of the 14th Amendment/insurrection clause defies logic — Trump was caught red-handed, and he cannot be allowed a route back to office.
Pro-Trump narrative
In a way, this temporary setback will only boost Donald Trump's popularity among voters. If it did find against him, contrary to a previous ruling, the sheer partisanship of the Colorado Supreme Court would be put out there for everyone to see. Since there's no way Trump can be defeated in the polls, the system is now trying to block him down by other means. Americans are pinning their hopes on the Supreme Court to come to the right decision and allow Trump to run.