Mike Pence disapproves of attempts to remove Trump from 2024 ballot

Former Vice President Mike Pence has spoken out against rulings of individual states removing former President Donald Trump from their 2024 ballots, arguing that such moves are not in the interest of voters.

The moves to remove Trump from the ballot in the upcoming presidential election stem from the 14th Amendment, which prohibits a person who engaged in an insurrection from running for office. Trump’s involvement with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was cited by the Colorado Supreme Court as the reason to remove him from the 2024 ballot, with the court ruling 4-3 on the matter.

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“I think these efforts to take the decision away from the American people are really antithetical to the very democracy that President Biden and many Democrats talk about wanting to defend,” Pence said on CNN’s State of the Union. “I’m very confident that the American people will choose wisely. I’m confident that we’ll run our elections, but removing the former president or any other candidate from the choice of the American people, I don’t believe is in the interest of the country. And I have reason to be confident that the Supreme Court of the United States will see it just that way.”

During the interview, Pence was also asked if he would endorse any other candidate besides Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. The former vice president stated that he did not believe that endorsements make a major difference but that he had been speaking with other candidates in the primary, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Pence was also once running in the Republican Party’s 2024 primary race for president, but dropped out in late October. He has stated that new leadership is needed in both the Republican Party and the White House, indicating he will not endorse Trump ahead of the 2024 election.

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On Friday, the Supreme Court agreed to consider Trump’s bid to toss out the Colorado Supreme Court ruling that removed him from the primary election ballot within the state. Arguments in the case will be held on Feb. 8, meaning the Supreme Court could give a ruling in the dispute as much of the primary voting season gets underway.

Alina Habba, Trump’s attorney, has stated that she believes the high court will rule in the former president’s favor, specifically mentioning Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh as someone the Trump team has “faith” in. Kavanaugh was one of three Justices Trump nominated during his presidency, the others being Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett.