Trump celebrates Michigan Supreme Court ballot win: Live – The Independent

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
‘This pathetic gambit to rig the Election has failed all across the Country, including in States that have historically leaned heavily toward the Democrats,’ former president writes
Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile
Donald Trump doubles down on anti-immigrant rhetoric after Supreme Court decision
Donald Trump took to Truth Social to celebrate the Michigan Supreme Court choosing not to rule on whether he can be removed from the state’s ballot.
“The Michigan Supreme Court has strongly and rightfully denied the Desperate Democrat attempt to take the leading Candidate in the 2024 Presidential Election, me, off the ballot in the Great State of Michigan,” the former president wrote. “This pathetic gambit to rig the Election has failed all across the Country, including in States that have historically leaned heavily toward the Democrats. Colorado is the only State to have fallen prey to the scheme.”
Meanwhile, Melania Trump’s absence at the Trump family Christmas at Mar-a-Lago raised eyebrows – but now an explanation has been offered.
The former first lady missed Christmas with Mr Trump to spend time with her ailing mother, a source told Fox News Digital.
“Melania has always been very devoted to her entire family,” the source close to Ms Trump told the outlet. “It should be no surprise that she spent this Christmas with her ailing mother.”
Donald Trump has suggested that fellow candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is set to drop out of the 2024 race after it was revealed that his campaign is ceasing all its TV ad spending.
“He will, I am sure, Endorse me. But Vivek is a good man, and is not done yet!” Mr Trump wrote on Truth on Tuesday night.
His post linked to a story about the Ramaswamy campaign stopping its spending on TV ads and slot reservations, according to the campaign and ad-tracking company data, NBC News reported.
Data from AdImpact reveal that during the first full week of December, the campaign spent $200,000 on TV ads; last week, that number was down to $6,000.
Campaign officials told NBC that they are spending money on ads, but not on TV.
“We are focused on bringing out the voters we’ve identified — best way to reach them is using addressable advertising, mail, text, live calls and doors to communicate with our voters on Vivek’s vision for America, making their plan to caucus and turning them out,” a spokesperson told the network. “As you know, this isn’t what most campaigns look like. We have intentionally structured this way so that we have the ability to be nimble and hypertargeted in our ad spending.”
Donald Trump will remain on the 2024 presidential primary ballot in Michigan after the state’s Supreme Court rejected to rule on the challenge to Mr Trump’s eligibility.
The high court said it was “not persuaded that the questions presented should be reviewed by this Court” and upheld a lower court ruling allowing the former president to remain on the ballot.
It is the latest in a string of attempts to prevent the former president from appearing on primary ballots in several states by invoking Section Three of the 14th Amendment otherwise known as the “insurrection clause.”
Several individuals and left-leaning organisations have claimed Mr Trump’s actions leading up to the January 6 attack on the Capitol were efforts to aid an insurrection – violating the clause of the 14th Amendment that bars those from seeking an official position.
Four registered voters in Michigan initially brought the lawsuit forward in September. But in November, a Michigan district judge ruled that Mr Trump was allowed to remain on the state’s ballot, arguing that neither the Michigan Secretary of State nor the courts had the authority to determine when a person is eligible to run for office or remove candidates.
The Michigan Court of Appeals upheld the lower court’s ruling earlier this month.
Donald Trump spent Christmas Day telling his perceived enemies to “rot in hell.” The next day, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president told the man leading federal investigations into his attempts to overturn 2020 election results and withhold classified documents to “go to hell”.
In the middle of a posting spree on his Truth Social account, Mr Trump launched familiar attacks at special counsel Jack Smith, suggested his appointment is unconstitutional, and repeated his conspiracy theory that the multiple criminal indictments and lawsuits against him are coordinated by his rival President Joe Biden to keep him out of office.
“Biden’s Flunky, Deranged Jack Smith, should go to HELL,” Mr Trump wrote on Tuesday.
The former president’s latest screed against the special counsel comes days after the US Supreme Court rejected Mr Smith’s request to fast-track a hearing on whether Mr Trump can claim “presidential immunity” as a legitimate defence in his federal election conspiracy case.
That “immunity” question will play out at the appeals court, as scheduled.
But the nation’s highest court could soon step in for a completely different case, one that questions whether Mr Trump is eligible to appear on 2024 ballots in the state of Colorado or elsewhere.
Mr Trump’s attorneys are expected to prepare to make their case to the nation’s highest court after a brutal court ruling in the state this month.
His legal team is seeking to overturn the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision that renders him ineligible for the presidency under the text of the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution, which prohibits candidates who “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” from holding public office.
Donald Trump has shared a graphic naming “revenge” and “dictatorship” as among his biggest goals if he wins the presidency in 2024.
In a poll published on Tuesday, The Daily Mail asked 1,000 American voters to sum up in one word what they thought Mr Trump and Joe Biden wanted from a second term in office.
The top entry in Mr Biden’s word cloud was “nothing”, followed by “economy” and “peace”. But for Mr Trump, it was “revenge” – alongside “power”, “dictatorship”, “America”, and “economy” again.
Mr Trump quickly shared the graphic on his Truth Social page without any further comment, raising the question of whether he endorses such terms.
“It distils the essence of this campaign pretty accurately,” conservative commentator Matt Lewis told the outlet.
Federal law enforcement is working with police in Colorado to investigate alleged threats to state Supreme Court justices who found Donald Trump ineligible to appear on the state’s 2024 presidential ballots.
A ruling from Colorado’s highest court earlier this month determined that the former president is disqualified from the presidency under the 14th Amendment, which bars anyone who has sworn an oath to uphold the constitution and “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” from holding public office.
The historic 4-3 ruling, the first among any state supreme court to consider the question of his eligibility, follows a wave of lawsuits seeking to block Mr Trump from next year’s presidential election ballots for his actions surrounding the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Mr Trump and his allies have unleashed a vitriolic campaign against the lawsuits and court rulings that followed, casting his mounting legal battles alongside his criminal indictments as part of an alleged Democratic conspiracy to keep him out of office.
On social media, Mr Trump’s supporters have echoed his attacks and rhetoric, fuelling reportedly credible threats against the judges, prosecutors and others involved in his cases, as well as their family members.
One post, on a far-right pro-Trump message board, read: “All f****** robed rats must f****** hang.”
Violent rhetoric targeting judges and leaks of personal information found on pro-Trump forums
The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump PAC, released a foul ad doubling down on allegations that former president Donald Trump smells.
Claims around the former president’s alleged odour erupted earlier this week when former Illinois Republican representative Adam Kinzinger tweeted, “I’m genuinely surprised how people close to Trump haven’t talked about the odor. It’s truly something to behold. Wear a mask if you can.”
The Lincoln Project seized upon the resulting social media firestorm with a video advertisement on Saturday, with the caption: “Is that you Donald? #TrumpSmells.”
The ad begins with scenes of dumps, waste, and dung — with flies swarming around it — and is punctuated by a chorus of coughs, sniffles, and vomiting.
The video then shows garbage being picked up and piled up on the streets of New York.
Then, while featuring the facade of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, a reporter’s voice booms, “Claiming the former president smells bad.”
Comedian Kathy Griffin can then be heard saying, “The Donald has a distinct smell. It’s like body odour with a scented makeup product.”
While showing other smelly products, like moldy cheese, someone can be heard sniffing before saying, “Ew, Donald. Is that you?”
The ad is called ‘Limburger,’ a cheese known for its pungent odour
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Former US President and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump gestures at the end of a campaign event in Waterloo, Iowa, on December 19, 2023
AFP via Getty Images
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
Log in
New to The Independent?
Or if you would prefer:
Want an ad-free experience?

source