A former Democrat presidential adviser said that keeping former President Donald Trump off this year's election ballot would "rip the country apart."
David Axelrod, an adviser to then-President Barack Obama, appeared on CNN to discuss efforts in various states to keep Trump off the 2024 presidential ballot.
Colorado's Supreme Court and Maine's secretary of state both have determined that Trump is ineligible to remain on their respective state's election ballot. Lawsuits in other states also are seeking the same result.
"I have very, very strong reservations about all of this," Axelrod said Friday on CNN.
"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. I think if you are going to beat Donald Trump, you are going to probably have to do it at the polls."
Axelrod, who has been critical of President Joe Biden's reelection campaign and chances, said that four criminal indictments have strengthened Trump within the GOP.
"All of this is strengthening him in the Republican primary," Axelrod said. "We've run this experiment: He's only gained since he started getting indicted. What you thought might be kryptonite for him has turned out to be battery packs, and this is a big one for him."
CNN's Brianna Keilar reminded Axelrod that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley have said they would pardon Trump is he's convicted of a crime and they become president.
The CNN host suggested a talk of a pardon could be among things "ripping the country apart."
"It's good politics for them because they're both catering to the Trump base in saying that, and I think that is a large motivation for them," Axelrod said of DeSantis and Haley.
"I do think it's a real question as to what it would mean to actually imprison a former president, and that's something that's going to weigh heavily on the next president's mind and on the mind of sentencing judges if he's ever convicted."
The former presidential adviser predicted the U.S. Supreme Court will take up Trump's case "fairly quickly" and "will leave him" on the ballot.
Less than three weeks ago, Axelrod said a recent Wall Street Journal poll showing Biden's approval ratings hitting a new low marked a "very, very dark" point for his reelection campaign.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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