By Steve Holland and Nandita Bose
MILWAUKEE (Reuters) – President Joe Biden said on Wednesday there was “no question” his predecessor Donald Trump supported an insurrection, but that it was up to the courts whether that disqualifies him from running for president.
“It’s self-evident. You saw it all. Whether the 14th Amendment applies or not, we’ll let the court make that decision,” Biden told reporters during a trip to Wisconsin.
“But he certainly supported an insurrection. There’s no question about it. None. Zero. And he seems to be doubling down on it,” Biden said.
The president’s comments were in response to the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling on Tuesday, which disqualified Trump from serving as U.S. president and said he cannot appear on the primary ballot in Colorado because of his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.
The historic 4-3 ruling, likely to be taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court, makes Trump the first presidential candidate deemed ineligible for the White House under the rarely used 14th amendment to the US Constitution that bars officials who have engaged in “insurrection or rebellion” from holding office.
Trump vowed to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, and the Colorado court said it would delay the effect of its decision until at least Jan. 4, 2024, to allow for an appeal.
Trump’s campaign called the court decision “undemocratic.”
“The Colorado Supreme Court issued a completely flawed decision tonight and we will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court,” a spokesperson from the Trump campaign said.
(Reporting by Steve Holland and Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Heather Timmons and Alistair Bell)
