Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has weighed in on the exclusion of Donald Trump from the Maine presidential ballot, suggesting that a similar action could be justified against President Joe Biden in Florida.
DeSantis expressed his views on Fox News, criticizing the unilateral removal of a candidate from the ballot by an executive branch official, calling it an inappropriate interpretation of the 14th Amendment.
DeSantis Floats Having Biden Struck Off the Ballot in Florida, But Predicts Maine Decision Reversed by SCOTUS https://t.co/IQzoW0DfqA
— Brooklyn (@FlorabamaB) December 31, 2023
DeSantis raised the question of whether Biden could be struck off the Florida ballot due to the border crisis of an "invasion of 8 million people," including individuals from enemy nations.
He suggested that such a move could become a response to the exclusion of Trump in Maine.
The decision to remove Trump from the Maine ballot was made by Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat, who cited Trump's alleged promotion of a false narrative of election fraud to incite his supporters.
DeSantis expressed skepticism about the decision's validity and anticipated that it would be reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court. He characterized the move as a stunt by a liberal official seeking attention.
Despite DeSantis qualifying for the Maine ballot and leading other active candidates in polls, he believes the decision to exclude Trump will not stand.
DeSantis first raised the concept of striking Biden from the ballot during a Fox interview on Thursday, emphasizing the potential consequences for constitutional due process.
“Well, obviously, to have one executive branch official unilaterally striking someone off the ballot is not an appropriate interpretation of the 14th Amendment,” he said.
“We could have — in Florida, what, are we going to have Biden struck off the ballot because he’s allowed an invasion of 8 million people, including enemy nations have sent people in? This could just be — end up being a tit-for-tat. So I think it’ll get reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court. I think it’s more of a stunt that you have a very liberal person in that position who’s just trying to play for cheap clicks.”
“But, ultimately, I don’t think it’s grounded in a proper interpretation of the Constitution,” DeSantis added.
He argued that the notion of a bureaucrat unilaterally disqualifying someone from office challenges constitutional principles that have been upheld for over 200 years.
DeSantis also pointed out the irony of Florida Democrats excluding Biden opponents from the primary ballot this year, citing their failure to appear at a state convention for nomination purposes.
The controversy over Trump in Maine continues to have a nationwide impact as DeSantis and other leaders sound off over the extreme decision to remove the former president from the GOP primary ballot.
