In a recent interview on ABC's "This Week," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, sparked a wave of criticism on social media for suggesting that the eligibility of former President Donald Trump to run in the 2024 presidential election could be determined by "different laws from state to state."
The host of the show, George Stephanopoulos, posed a question to Pelosi, asking, "If you believe he engaged in insurrection into the plain meaning of the 14th Amendment, you believe he's ineligible to be president?" To which Pelosi responded, "Those laws that are up to the states. They have different laws from state to state. I don't think he should ever have been president."
Stephanopoulos interjected, reminding Pelosi that the matter pertains to the Constitution, not state laws. Pelosi, however, continued, "There is a view of the Constitution and Article 14, section three, that he should not be able to run for president. But that's not the point. The point now is that, again, different states have different laws. We don't think in California that it it applied in our state. That's what the decision was made here."
The conversation was highlighted by the RNC Research account and further amplified by various conservative users on social media. One user, known as Insurrection Barbie, criticized Pelosi's statement, writing, "Nancy Pelosi told [Stephanopoulos] today that states can overrule the Constitution and take Trump off of the ballot. Tell me again which party is trying to destroy democracy?"
Another user, The Constitutional Conservative, expressed their disbelief at Pelosi's remarks, stating, "Nancy Pelosi said that states can ignore the constitution because they have different laws. George Stephanopoulos was dumbfounded & brought up the constitution & Pelosi shrugged it off. These are the types of dangerous people running our government."
In late December, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber decided to include Trump on the list of candidates certified to run in the March primary, committing "to abide by the rule of law" despite her personal belief that Trumps actions were "abhorrent and disturbing and an attack on democracy."
This decision followed Maines Democratic secretary of state, Shenna Bellows, ruling that Trump was ineligible to appear on that states ballot due to his role in the Capitol riot. Similarly, Colorado's Supreme Court decided, by a 4-3 vote, that Trump should not be on the Republican primary ballot, citing the 14th Amendment's "insurrection" clause.
The U.S. Supreme Court announced last week that it will consider Trumps appeal in the Colorado case in February.
During the interview, which took place on the day following the three-year anniversary of the Capitol riot, Pelosi also cautioned about the messaging surrounding the events of January 6 during a "campaign year." She emphasized the importance of speaking "with respect for all concerned in a unifying way to bring people together," adding, "He is not above the law. And it remains for the case, the courts to settle that. That's not up to us. It's up to the courts to settle that."
Pelosi also accused Trump of delaying the deployment of National Guard troops to the Capitol on January 6. She claimed that she, along with Senators Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell, were "begging the administration to send the National Guard," but their pleas were ignored for hours. Trump, however, has repeatedly blamed Pelosi for the riot, alleging that she and Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser denied his approval of 10,000 National Guard members at the Capitol beforehand.
In a post on her social media account, Pelosi wrote, "The former president incited insurrection on January 6th with a violent mob that desecrated the Capitol, some wielding Confederate flags under the dome that Lincoln built and the evidence against him comes from his fellow Republicans. Democrats will protect and defend our democracy and our Constitution, with liberty and justice for all."
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