Research/Study
Conservative media falsely attack the Colorado Supreme Court ruling as “undemocratic" and “the ultimate election interference”
They blame “unelected judges,” “communists,” and “pro-tyranny” Democrats
Written by Ethan Collier, Natalie Mathes & Payton Armstrong
Research contributions from Alicia Sadowski, Helena Hind, Isabella Corrao & Jane Lee
Published
On December 19, the Colorado Supreme Court removed former President Donald Trump from the state’s 2024 Republican primary ballot, finding that he “engaged in insurrection” and therefore is not an eligible presidential candidate per the 14th Amendment. Right-wing media figures swiftly condemned the decision as “election interference” and “voter suppression,” criticized the “anti-democratic” ruling by a “corrupt Democrat cabal,” and falsely asserted there is no legal basis to remove Trump because he has not been convicted over the January 6, 2021, insurrection.
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- Right-wing media figures claimed the ruling constitutes “election interference,” “voter suppression,” "judicial activism," and disenfranchisement
- Right-wing figures condemned the decision as antidemocratic, calling Democrats “pro-tyranny” and “corrupt”
- Right-wing figures claimed that the ruling has no legal basis because January 6 was not an insurrection and Trump was not found guilty of insurrection
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Right-wing media figures claimed the ruling constitutes “election interference,” “voter suppression,” “judicial activism,” and disenfranchisement
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- Fox host Laura Ingraham opened her show by declaring, “Tonight, America is seeing the ultimate election interference.” Ingraham complained that “four unelected state judges all appointed by Democrat governors have ruled that Donald Trump must be kept off next year's presidential ballot.” [Fox News, The Ingraham Angle, 12/19/23]
- Ingraham also called the decision “judicial activism.” She explained, “They take the Constitution and turn it into a piece of Silly Putty for political ends. That is classic judicial activism, is it not?” [Fox News, The Ingraham Angle, 12/19/23]
- Discussing the Colorado Supreme Court decision, Fox host Jesse Watters said: “It's more than voter suppression and intimidation. It’s the elimination of the voter. You can't vote for the guy you want to.” Fox contributor Charlie Hurt said, “Democrats in Colorado are so afraid of allowing American voters to vote and pick the next president that they are willing to do extrajudicial things –- complete highway robbery here — in order to thwart the people's choice from being on the ballot. To them, preserving democracy requires destroying democracy.” [Fox News, Jesse Watters Primetime, 12/19/23]
- Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett declared that the decision is “another example of election interference by Trump opponents” using “the equivalent of rigging the ballot box.” Guest host and former Trump press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the decision is “literally taking away the will of the people.” [Fox News, Hannity, 12/19/23]
- Podcaster and former Trump administration official Monica Crowley said that “the communists don't even pretend to disguise their revolution anymore.” She also posted, “ELECTION INTERFERENCE.” [Twitter/X, 12/19/23, 12/19/23]
- Fox News contributor Sara Carter wrote, “We can’t allow the courts and a weaponized bureaucracy make decisions for the American people - we should not as citizens accept this no matter how anyone feels about Trump.” She continued, “I watched it for years during my original reporting on him and the fake Russia collusion orchestrated by Hillary Clinton with the help of the very bureaucrats that are continuing to target him now. Who will be next ? imagine if he didn’t get elected - who would be sitting in the Supreme Court?” [Twitter/X, 12/19/23]
- Bigoted pundit and potential Trump press secretary Laura Loomer posted about the Colorado decision on X (formerly Twitter), writing: “This is ELECTION INTERFERENCE!” [Twitter/X, 12/19/23]
- Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller posted on X: “ELECTION INTERFERENCE!” [Twitter/X, 12/19/23]
- Right-wing pundit Tomi Lahren posted: “Who the hell do these hacks in Colorado think they are? Trying to disqualify Trump with some BS? Unacceptable. Election interference!!!” [Twitter/X, 12/19/23]
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Right-wing figures condemned the decision as antidemocratic, calling Democrats “pro-tyranny” and “corrupt”
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- Former Trump White House press secretary and conservative commentator Kayleigh McEnany claimed that “it’s all in the name of democracy, that they are undermining democracy — incredible — and they are using a so-called insurrection as an excuse.” She said, “Four unelected judges are trying to preempt the will of voters, the will of the people of Colorado.” [Fox News, Hannity, 12/19/23]
- Newsmax host Greg Kelly said the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision was “lawfare,” “not democratic,” and “the only thing I can think is maybe they were high.” Kelly added, “What does the other side say all the time, that Trump, he is a threat to democracy? Remember, they just said the people of Colorado can't vote for who they want to vote for.” [Newsmax, Greg Kelly Reports, 12/19/23]
- Newsmax host Eric Bolling called the decision “an attack on our democracy” and an attempt “to punish the former president for a crime he most certainly did not commit.” Bolling said, “The Supreme Court of Colorado basically tried and convicted Trump, without an actual trial or a conviction. Apparently the decision was decided by a marijuana-smoking, crime-ridden state with a growing, massive homeless population that Donald Trump wasn't likely to win anyway.” [Newsmax, Eric Bolling The Balance, 12/19/23]
- Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk posted on X, “The ‘defenders of Democracy’ are always trying to destroy it because they’re frauds.” [Twitter/X, 12/19/23]
- Conservative radio host Dan Bongino called Democrats “obviously anti-democratic” and “pro-tyranny” for the decision. He posted, “Today is yet another example of the clear and present danger the liberal/progressive cancer presents to us all.” [Twitter/X, 12/19/23]
- Radio personality and Fox host Mark Levin posted, “Another corrupt Democrat cabal undermines our country. These are dark and grave times.” [Twitter/X, 12/19/23]
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Right-wing figures claimed that the ruling has no legal basis because January 6 was not an insurrection and Trump was not found guilty of insurrection
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- Attorney and Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley claimed that January 6 was “not an insurrection, it was a riot.” Turley argued that the Colorado court “just handed partisans on both sides the ultimate tool to try to shortcut elections, and it's very, very dangerous. This country is a powder keg and this court is just throwing matches at it.” He added that “to call this an insurrection for the purposes of disqualification would create a slippery slope for every state in the union.” [Fox News, The Ingraham Angle, 12/19/23]
- On Fox’s The Ingraham Angle, former Supreme Court law clerk and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Chris Landau emphasized that “it was no accident from the very beginning that they insisted on calling this an insurrection,” calling the word choice “ludicrous.” He stated, “These seeds were planted by the Democrats on January 6 itself. It was no accident from the very beginning that they insisted on calling this an insurrection, right? I mean, again, what happened on January 6 was extremely bad news, right? But to say it's an insurrection, to say it's like the equivalent of the U.S. Civil War, which is what led to this clause in the Constitution, is ludicrous, OK. But I think they were very clever that they wanted to use that word, and I don’t know if you noticed that people were insisting from the very beginning, it was very important for them that it be called an ‘insurrection.’ How convenient, that's exactly the word the Constitution uses. This was all being set up, really, for the past two and a half years.” [Fox News, The Ingraham Angle, 12/19/23]
- Newsmax host Rob Schmitt said the decision “effectively would nullify the will of around 40% of Colorado voters,” arguing that special counsel Jack Smith “didn’t even charge Trump with insurrection.” He stated, “The court claiming Trump participated in inciting insurrection on January 6. Yet it's funny that Jack Smith, the biggest partisan hack who hates Trump more than anybody, didn't even charge Trump with insurrection. So the Supreme Court is convicting him of insurrection, and Jack Smith didn't even charge him with that.” [Newsmax, Rob Schmitt Tonight, 12/19/23]
- Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton posted, “Fact check: Trump didn't engage in insurrection/rebellion -- plus the relevant 14th Amendment clause doesn't apply to the president.” [Twitter/X, 12/19/23]