"Makes him a martyr": Trump's GOP rivals oppose removing him from the ballot
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Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event in Iowa on Dec. 19. Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images
Several 2024 Republican candidates running against former President Trump have condemned Maine's decision to disqualify Trump from its 2024 presidential primary ballot.
Driving the news: Maine, following Colorado, on Thursday became the second state to block Trump from its 2024 primary ballot using the 14th Amendment's insurrection clause, ramping up pressure for the Supreme Court to weigh in on the issue.
- Trump's lawyers have vowed to challenge Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows' decision.
State of play: Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie told CNN's "This Morning" Friday that Maine's decision on Trump's candidacy "makes him a martyr."
- "This should be decided by the voters of the United States, it should not be decided by courts," Christie added.
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told Fox News in an interview Thursday night that the decision risked opening up "pandora's box."
- "The idea that one bureaucrat in an executive position can simply unilaterally disqualify someone from office — that turns on its head every notion of constitutional due process this country has abided by for over 200 years," DeSantis said.
What they're saying: A spokesperson for Nikki Haley echoed Christie in an emailed statement to Axios Friday.
- "Nikki will beat Trump fair and square," the spokesperson said. "It should be up to voters to decide who gets elected."
- Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy — who had vowed after the Colorado ruling to withdraw from the Colorado ballot — issued a statement Thursday night saying Maine's decision was "what an actual threat to democracy looks like."
- "I stand by my prior pledge to withdraw from any state's ballot that ultimately removes Trump from its ballot," Ramaswamy added, calling on Christie, Haley and DeSantis to do the same.
The big picture: Maine's decision to remove Trump from the 2024 primary ballot has also sparked bipartisan backlash from lawmakers.
- However, some have praised the decision.
- "Donald Trump incited a violent riot to overthrow American democracy. Of course he should be banned from the presidency forever," Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) said.
Go deeper: Where efforts to disqualify Trump from 2024 ballot stand
