Several state courts and officials, including the Colorado Supreme Court,[57] a state Circuit Court in Illinois,[58] and the Secretary of State of Maine,[59] ruled that Trump was ineligible to hold office under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution for his role in the January 6 Capitol attack, and thus attempted to disqualify him from appearing on the ballot.[60][59] These attempts were unsuccessful, and on March 4, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that states cannot determine eligibility for a national election under Section 3, and only Congress has the authority to disqualify candidates, or to pass legislation that allows courts to do so.[61]
Donald Trump's false claims of interference
Trump made false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, and continued denying the election results.[63][64] Election security experts warned that officials who deny the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election may attempt to impede the voting process, or refuse to certify the 2024 results.[65] In July 2024, The New York Times reported that "the Republican Party and its conservative allies are engaged in an unprecedented legal campaign targeting the American voting system", by restricting voting for partisan advantage ahead of Election Day and preparing to mount "legally dubious" challenges against the certification process if Trump were to lose.[66]
In the lead up to the 2024 election, the Republican Party made false claims of massive "noncitizen voting" by immigrants in an attempt to delegitimize the election in the event of a Trump defeat.[67][68][69] The claims were made as part of larger Republican Party efforts to disrupt the 2024 election and election denial movement.[70] Trump continued spreading his "big lie" of a stolen election and predicted without evidence that the 2024 election would be rigged against him. Trump also falsely accused Biden of "weaponizing" the Justice Department to target him in relation to his criminal trials.[62] Trump and several Republicans stated they would not accept the results of the 2024 election if they believe they are "unfair".[71]
Trump's previous comments suggesting he can "terminate" the Constitution to reverse his election loss,[72][73] his claim that he would only be a dictator on "day one" of his presidency and not after,[d] his promise to use the Justice Department to go after his political enemies,[80] his plan to use the Insurrection Act of 1807 to deploy the military for law enforcement in cities and states with too much violent crime or drug cartels,[81][82] attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election, continued Republican efforts to restrict voting following the 2020 presidential election, Trump's baseless predictions of voter fraud in the 2024 election,[83] and Trump's public embrace and celebration of the January 6 United States Capitol attack,[84] raised concerns over the state of democracy in the United States.[85][86][87][88] Trump's political operation said that it plans to deploy more than 100,000 attorneys and volunteers to polling places across battleground states, with an "election integrity hotline" for poll watchers and voters to report alleged voting irregularities.[89]
