Crossfire: Should Donald Trump Be Allowed to Run for President?

Should Donald Trump’s actions around the 2020 election make him ineligible for the presidency, or should we let the voters decide? Art: Zeina Ibrahim

The Midwood Argus is an open forum and welcomes a diversity of student opinion. The views expressed in the paper should not be taken to represent those of the administration, faculty, or the student body as a whole. To submit a letter to the editor, click the button on our homepage.

NO

By ZEINA IBRAHIM

Section Three of the 14th Amendment bars anyone who “engaged in insurrection” or revolts against the government from holding public office. Many people believe that Donald Trump violated this clause, and they're right.

Following America’s Civil War, the insurrection clause was designed to keep ex-Confederates from returning to power. The section states “No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States” who has “engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”

On Jan 6, 2021, Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol after he gave a speech denying that he had lost the election. “We fight like hell,” he said. “And if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore.” And sure enough, they fought like hell. 

This winter, Maine and Colorado took steps to bar Trump from their states’ presidential ballots. The Secretary of State of Maine, Democrat Shenna Bellows, was the first in history to cite Section Three to bar a president from holding public office. However, the U.S. Supreme Court soon reversed her actions as well as those of Colorado.

Trump supporters try to classify Jan 6 as a “riot” rather than an insurrection, thereby making it ineligible to disqualify him from running for president. 

They also argue that the people who engaged in this so-called “riot” had no intention of overthrowing the government, but were actually trying to uphold the Constitution by refusing to let Trump's “victory” be stolen from him. 

But here’s the problem: If we applied this same logic to the people whom the insurrection clause originally targeted, then the Confederates during the Civil War wouldn't be classified as insurrectionists either.

Confederate leaders also argued that they were exercising their constitutional right of secession during the Civil War period. They had no intention of overthrowing the government, they explained; they were just expressing their “rights” as guaranteed by the Constitution. Then, as on Jan 6, an irrational belief that you are acting constitutionally is no excuse for anti-government violence.

After all, the Jan 6 mob was armed, broke into the Capitol, and left about 170 police officers injured. If that wasn't a violent attack on the government, then I don't know what is. 

And no, banning Trump from the ballot does not mean the end of democracy. This isn't just a matter of Republicans vs Democrats. A president who tries to convince people of election fraud because he can't handle a loss should not be a permitted voting option, no matter which party he belongs to. Accepting defeat is a crucial aspect of democracy as it establishes stability within the nation. 

A president has the responsibility to be honest with America’s citizens and take accountability. Spreading misinformation to protect your image is unethical, and that’s why Trump deserves no legal place on our 2024 ballots.

YES

By DARREN NHU

Although Donald Trump might have outraged many people on Jan 6, this reason does not suffice to remove him from the ballot. 

Was Jan 6 an insurrection, or just a normal riot? Trump’s defense lawyers argue that his words were not a call for violence, but as he stated, a call for his supporters “to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.’’ In addition, the 14th Amendment specifically refers to the “elector of president and vice president” (not the president himself), and it is unclear whether Jan 6 even counts as an “insurrection” under that law. Section Three is also silent about who is supposed to enforce all of this. 

Trump was only impeached as president, not convicted of any crime, which is why his impeachments are not a valid reason to bar him from holding public office. In fact, Trump was never convicted of any crime for the events related to Jan 6.

Sixty-three percent of American Republicans would vote for Trump in the 2024 elections, according to The New York Post. America is all about democracy, but does removing Trump from the ballot really represent that? 

The obvious answer would be no. The state should not be telling anyone whom they should vote for. A great alternative to kicking Trump off the ballot would be for citizens who oppose him to just not vote for him. Taking Trump off the ballot would deprive half the country of their preferred choice and only add fuel for his followers. 

There could be big consequences if Trump were removed from the ballot in certain Democratic-leaning states as Republican states would then feel the need to remove Democratic candidates off their ballots, starting a dangerous political back-and-forth.

Even David Axelrod, a former advisor to Barack Obama, said, “I have very, very strong reservations about all of this. I do think it would rip the country apart if he were actually prevented from running, because tens of millions of people want to vote for him.” 

State governments should not have the authority to bar presidential candidates from ballots. Individual states being able to make that decision would cause many problems and increase tensions between Democrats and Republicans even more. Opposing sides would try to convict candidates of crimes as a form of revenge. This is a matter that should be addressed by the federal government; otherwise, it would give each state way too much power.

On February 24, Donald Trump easily blew out Nikki Haley in South Carolina's Republican primary, even though South Carolina is Haley’s home state. This proved that Trump has an insurmountable advantage over other Republican candidates. Recent polls have shown he has a good chance of ending up victorious in the national election this November. 

In a democracy, people should be able to vote for their preferred candidate, and half the country likes Trump. Removing him from the ballot would be impractical and unrealistic, considering the possible outcomes and the fact that simple allegations are not enough to support his removal. 

Instead, we should be focusing on the bigger picture: the country's well-being. Removing Trump from the ballot would cause more conflict than we can imagine. We should just leave it up to the voters to decide.