Florida’s Republican Governor, Ron DeSantis, has commented on the exclusion of President Donald Trump from the Maine presidential ballot. DeSantis has suggested that a similar action could be justified against Democrat President Joe Biden in Florida. During an appearance on Fox News, the governor criticized the unilateral removal of a candidate from the ballot by an executive branch official, deeming it an inappropriate interpretation of the 14th Amendment.
DeSantis raised concerns about the border crisis and the potential inclusion of individuals from enemy nations, suggesting that this could warrant Biden’s exclusion from the Florida ballot. He proposed that such a response could be a consequence of Trump’s exclusion in Maine. The decision to remove Trump from the Maine ballot was made by Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a career Democrat. Bellows cited Trump’s questioning of the 2020 election results and his concerns about fraud as reasons for the exclusion. DeSantis expressed skepticism about the validity of this decision and anticipated that it would be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. He characterized the move as a publicity stunt by a liberal official seeking attention.
Despite DeSantis qualifying for the Maine ballot and leading other active candidates in polls, he believes that the decision to exclude Trump will ultimately be reversed.
During a recent interview on Fox, DeSantis initially proposed the idea of removing Biden from the ballot, highlighting the significant implications it could have on 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.
DeSantis further highlighted the irony of Florida Democrats who, by excluding Biden opponents from the primary ballot this year, failed to adhere to constitutional principles that have been upheld for more than two centuries. This was emphasized by their absence at a state convention, which is crucial for nomination purposes.
