Trump Says, ‘I’m Not An Insurrectionist’ As President Biden Says It Is 'Self-evident'

Citing the "insurrection clause" of the 14th Amendment, the Colorado Supreme Court declared former President Donald Trump ineligible for the state's 2024 presidential primary. President Joe Biden says it's "self-evident" that Trump backed an insurrection. Trump has responded to the ruling by vehemently disputing the designation of insurrectionist and calling Biden an insurrectionist.

Trump's defense focuses on his statements made in the wake of the violent Capitol storming on January 6, 2021, which was intended to prevent Biden's election results from being certified. In a post on Truth Social, his social media platform, Trump emphasized his remarks from that day, in which he called on his supporters to march "peacefully and patriotically." According to the former president, he is "not an Insurrectionist," per The Hill.

But in his first public speech since the Colorado judgment, President Biden says that there is no denying Trump's backing for the uprising. Biden said, “I think it’s self-evident … he certainly supported an insurrection. There’s no question about it. None. Zero. And he seems to be doubling down on it, about everything." This is a continuation of Biden's long-standing condemnation of Trump's involvement in the events of January 6, during which he was called "singularly responsible" for the ensuing violence, reports The Guardian.

Colorado Supreme Court's 4-3 ruling determined that the insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment applies to Trump's acts, which included inciting his supporters with fictitious allegations of election fraud and driving them to the Capitol. Trump is no longer eligible to compete in Colorado's Republican primary in 2024 as a result of the decision.

Trump avoided discussing the ruling directly at a rally in Waterloo, Iowa, but he remarked on the ruling two days later when he turned the conversation to Biden, calling the president of the United States an insurrectionist and a threat to democracy.

The campaign of the former president called the Colorado Supreme Court's decision "completely flawed" and "undemocratic." Steven Cheung, the spokesperson for President Trump, implied partisanship when he claimed that the court, which is made up exclusively of Democratic appointees, had given in to a left-wing agenda. Cheung further charged that the court was endorsing a plan to rig the election in favor of Biden, per HuffPost.

The Trump team has declared that it will appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court in an attempt to overturn it. They have expressed "full confidence" that the higher court will decide in their favor and put an end to what they view as "unAmerican lawsuits."

The Democratic secretary of state for Colorado, Jena Griswold, supported Biden's remarks during a lunchtime interview on MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports. "The big picture, no matter if Donald Trump ends up being on the ballot or off the ballot, is the extent of how dangerous he is to American democracy," she said.

"He tried to steal the presidency from the American people. He incited an insurrection with folks ramming into the US Capitol, some of whom had plans to hang the Vice President, and then he did not stop there. He spent months trying to undermine the peaceful process, the peaceful transfer of the presidency."