Missouri's Secretary of State has threatened to remove President Joe Biden from the state's 2024 ballot if the US Supreme Court upholds a ruling that barred Donald Trump from Colorado's ballot. Jay Ashcroft said he would hold Mr Biden to the same legal standard applied to Mr Trump, who was disqualified under the Constitution's insurrection clause.
The Supreme Court announced on 5 January that it would hear Mr Trump's appeal against the Colorado decision. Shortly after, Mr Ashcroft wrote on X: “What has happened in Colorado & Maine is disgraceful & undermines our republic. While I expect the Supreme Court to overturn this, if not, Secretaries of State will step in & ensure the new legal standard for” Mr Trump “applies equally to” President Biden.
Speaking to NBC News, Mr Ashcroft said he wrote the post to “remind people of how severe this is.” He added: “I’m 99 per cent certain the Supreme Court will stop it, but if they don’t, chaos is ahead and we’ve got to avoid it.” The Missouri Republican said he intends to file an amicus brief to warn the court of potential ramifications. “If Democrat states are saying we’re not going to let these Republicans run, you bet you’re going to see the same thing happening from Republican states. And it’s not good,” he said.
When asked how he would make Mr Biden ineligible under the insurrection standard, Mr Ashcroft replied that the president “let an invasion unstopped into our country from the border.” His comments echo those of Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who last month suggested removing Mr Biden from the Texas ballot over the influx of immigrants, saying: “Maybe we should take Joe Biden off the ballot in Texas for allowing 8m people to cross the border since he’s been president.”
In contrast, California Governor Gavin Newsom has opposed efforts to remove Mr Trump from the state's primary ballot. He said there is “no doubt that Donald Trump is a threat to our liberties and even to our democracy,” but insisted: “We defeat candidates at the polls. Everything else is a political distraction.”
