New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman says people close to former President Trump view Tuesday’s ruling in Colorado that bars the former president from the ballot as a good thing politically.
“They generally see it … as a gift,” Haberman said Tuesday evening during an appearance on CNN. “I mean, Trump is not happy about any of these cases, particularly cases that tie him to a charge of insurrection. But they see the way that they anticipate this will play out.”
Colorado’s top court in a landmark ruling found the 14th Amendment’s insurrection clause makes Trump ineligible to appear on its primary ballot.
Trump is expected to appeal the ruling, which could end up before the U.S. Supreme Court and have nationwide impacts on how other state courts rule on Trump’s eligibility.
“They’re going to ask the Supreme Court to take it up. The Supreme Court doesn’t have to. If they don’t, it’s basically affirming the decision, which I think becomes complicated, although they could obviously always affirm it,” Haberman said, adding Trump’s team “feel[s] pretty good about their chances.”
Haberman is a veteran reporter for the Times who has been covering Trump for years, going back to his time as a real estate developer in New York City.
She is widely known for having strong sources within Trump’s orbit and direct access to him before, after and during his presidency.
Her comments on Tuesday were first highlighted by Mediaite.
“So again, none of this, in the aggregate, is the kind of news that most people would like,” she said of the Colorado ruling. “But somehow, every time Donald Trump gets a piece of legal news that in normal times would be problematic, it has had a rallying effect on his supporters.”