Supreme Smackdown

Monday was mourning in America as a shocked and dejected news media digested the news that Donald J. Trump will remain on the ballot.  On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that no state can unilaterally declare a candidate unfit for federal office, "especially the Presidency."  All nine black robes agreed that "States may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office. But States have no power under the Constitution" to banish a candidate from national consideration.  Even the three Democrat-nominated justices observed that "[a]llowing Colorado to do so would, we agree, create a chaotic state-by-state patchwork."

Supreme Smackdown
Illustration: Lev Kaplan

The cable news network MSNBC declared that the court, whose members were nominated by both Republican and Democratic presidents, "handed Trump a gift" on a mere "Constitutional technicality."  CNN's Dana Bash lamented that "unfortunately for America, the court isn't necessarily wrong."  It took comedian and daytime television talker Whoopi Goldberg to concede that however much she dislikes the MAGA Menace, "I know it's probably the right decision."

Despite the media's best efforts, the latest CBS News/YouGov poll finds that 35% of registered voters believe that Trump attempted to stay in office by "legal means"; 21% believe he never planned to stay in office after his 2020 defeat.  Among those two forgiving groups, 83% hope to return Trump to the White House.  If that happens, the media might never recover.