Trump appeals ‘arbitrary’ ruling barring him from Maine ballot: Live

Andrew Romeo, communications director for the Ron DeSantis 2024 campaign, has issued the following statement about Trump’s decision to not participate in yet another debate and offer his own counter-programming on Fox News:

“We understand Donald Trump is scared to get on the stage because he’d have to finally explain why he didn’t build the wall, added nearly $8 trillion to the debt, and turned the country over to Fauci.

“But even Gavin Newsom had the courage to stand on the stage to debate his own failed record against Ron DeSantis.

“If it would make the debate more inviting, we would gladly agree to make it a seated format where the former president would be more comfortable.”

In addition to Ramaswamy putting on his own event after being called out for spreading conspiracy theories, Trump will also be counter-programming CNN Iowa debate on 10 January with a town hall on Fox News, live from Des Moines.

The program will air live at the same time as the CNN debate and will be moderated by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.

Both Baier and MacCallum moderated the first 2024 Republican presidential primary debate in Milwaukee, drawing an audience of 13 million viewers.

Here’s more from Gustaf Kilander.

Outsider Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has said he won’t be participating in CNN’s Iowa debate on 10 January.

His reason? CNN reporters, anchors and commentators called out his wild conspiracy theories and damaging rhetoric.

Here’s what he posted on X on Tuesday morning:

Semafor’s David Weigel notes that the polling cutoff for the Iowa debate is for the candidate to get 10 per cent in at least three polls, including one in Iowa.

Ramaswamy has never achieved more than 10 per cent in any poll in the state and therefore has not qualified.

Donald Trump, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis have, however.

To help keep track, here’s Rachel Sharp on which Republicans have and haven’t qualified for next Wednesday’s face-off.

A psychic offered Donald Trump a troubling prophecy about his 2024 chances during an appearance on Fox News last night.

Fox host Jesse Watters interviewed Paula Roberts – “the English psychic” – on Tuesday’s instalment of his show, where she relayed a prediction that many GOP voters will not like to hear.

Martha MacHardy was watching.

Scalise joins House speaker Mike Johnson and House Republican Conference chair Elise Stefanik in formally backing the former president in his bid for the GOP nomination.

The Republican is banging the drum ahead of his visit to the Midwest on Saturday, which happens to be the third anniversary of a certain important recent political event you may dimly recall.

Here’s Katie Hawkinson on what’s likely to be in store.

A US district court judge has ruled a civil lawsuit filed against Donald Trump by the partner of a Capitol Police officer who died in the aftermath of 6 January 2021 can proceed, but only in part.

Judge Amit Mehta dismissed wrongful death and negligence counts against the former president in the case brought by Sandra Garza, partner of the late Brian Sicknick, but allowed her to continue with claims against him under Washington DC’s Survival Act.

Mark Zaid, a lawyer representing Garza, said she was pleased with the outcome and considering next steps.

President Joe Biden welcomed the New Year with another gut punch in the polls on Monday when a USA Today/Suffolk University survey showed him losing to former president Donald Trump by two points. To boot, the survey showed Mr Biden losing Hispanic voters and young people against Mr Trump.

At this point, Mr Biden’s flagging poll numbers are hardly news. Numerous surveys have shown his numbers declining and the president either in a dead heat with or behind Mr Trump.

Mr Biden has long struggled to win over Hispanic voters ever since the 2020 Nevada caucus when he lost to Sen Bernie Sanders and in 2020 when numerous Hispanics, mainly in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and South Florida, moved rightward, even as Mr Biden won a majority of them.

Mr Biden’s low numbers with young people are also unsurprising as many of them have expressed dissatisfaction about his support for Israel and feel he has not done enough on student loan relief, even though he did wipe out tons of student debt and the Supreme Court blocked his larger student debt cancellation effort.

What does stand out is that the poll reveals both Mr Biden’s biggest weaknesses and his best hope for re-election, respectively: the lack of enthusiasm for him and the fact that Americans are starting to feel a bit better about the economy.

In a three-“page” post on Truth Social, Donald Trump has shared a “fully verified” report on alleged fraud in the 2020 election.

He repeats his claim that it would have been “in violation of his Oath of Office” to not bring his allegations of election fraud to light.

While the report is filled with citations, many are from previously debunked stories and theories from right-wing news sites. There is no author listed on the report.

Here’s what the former president posted:

Page One: SUMMARY OF ELECTION FRAUD IN THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN THE SWING STATES: I am pleased to share a Report that is fully verified, most of the information was gotten from Government Sources, Tapes, and other Public Records, and compiled by the most highly qualified Election Experts in the Country. These numbers are determinative and, in all cases, are hundreds of thousands of Votes per Swing State more than I needed to WIN that State. If the Republican Senate does not step forward and address this ATROCITY, it will happen again, and be virtually impossible for Republicans to WIN ELECTIONS in the future.

Page Two: Remember, I was not campaigning—The 2020 Election was LONG OVER. What I was doing is bringing to light the fact that the Election was, without question, Rigged and Stolen. As President, and Commander-in-Chief, it was my duty to do so! If I did not do this, I would have been in violation of my Oath of Office, and the Take Care Clause, which requires the President to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.” Therefore I am entitled to Total Immunity, because that is exactly what I was doing, Taking Care of our Country, and Guarding it from Rigged and Stolen Elections. Democrats are willing to play a far different game. They are willing to Cheat at levels never seen before.

Page Three: Please study these numbers carefully, analyze what’s been done, keep an open mind, and be smart—Because the Democrats are already trying to do it again, but adding one more weapon, Prosecutorial Misconduct—Using the DOJ, FBI, and local Attorney Generals and D.A.’s to go after Crooked Joe Biden’s Political Opponent—ME. This is a Lethal Weapon, but so far my Record Poll Numbers would indicate that it has backfired on them. The Public knows the TRUTH, but Republicans must fight harder and smarter!

When it comes to electing the president, majority voter approval is not a fundamental precept in the Constitution. From its inception, the Constitution established specific non-negotiable qualifications for eligibility to serve as president: that “[n]o person except a natural born Citizen . . . shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.”

A president elected twice is prohibited by the 22nd Amendment from being elected for a third term. It is not up to the voters to decide whether any president can serve a third term. The myth that the voters have unfettered selection of the president is of course upended by the Constitution’s electoral college voting system that allows a minority of the country’s voters to select the president.