Donald Trump’s Republican opponents are rallying around him with less than a week to go until the voting begins after the Colorado Supreme Court decided to remove him under the U.S. Constitution insurrection provision from the state’s primary presidential ballot.

As they did following Trump’s successive criminal indictments the GOP frontrunner’s opponents branded the landmark court ruling — the first in history that the 14th Amendment was used to disqualify an presidential candidate — inappropriate, as a “stunt”, and as “an attack on democracy.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the ruling of the court was a plot by Democrats to ensure Trump’s nomination, because they view him as being the weakest Republican candidate.

“Look, it’s unfair. He told an Urbandale, Iowa audience on Wednesday that they were abusing their power 100%. But the question is, will that work? They have a plan that will unfortunately work, and give Biden or Democrat or whoever the ability to get through this. It’s their plan.”

Trump’s court ruling – he has promised a swift appeal to the Supreme Court – once again highlights a defining characteristic of the GOP primaries: While many critics had expected the trail of criminal charges and lawsuits that followed Trump to seriously harm his candidacy they instead have had the opposite impact, especially among Republicans. Many primary voters, including those who were open to supporting rival candidates, have rallied behind the former president. He has cast himself as a victim of a politically-motivated effort by Democrat President Joe Biden’s administration to damage the chief political rival.

“I believe that this confirms Americans’ deepest fears that many of our institutions could be weaponized against us. It’s a good proof for the former President,” said Devin O’Malley of the Republican strategists, who was also communications chief in former Vice-President Mike Pence’s presidential campaign.

O’Malley pointed out that all the judges on the Colorado Court were appointed by Democratic Governors. He said: “On the surface, this is so partisan it can only help him.”

Even former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is a fierce Trump opponent and has accused the other candidates of being too deferential towards the former president, slammed this ruling as unwise.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, he said: “I don’t think it’s appropriate to remove him from the ballot by the courts.” “I believe we need to defeat him at the polling station.”

Nikki Haley, former United Nations ambassador, told reporters that “the last thing we want are judges telling us who is and isn’t on the ballot.” Vivek RAMASWAMY, entrepreneur and heir apparent to Trump’s Make America Great Again movement, has pledged to pull his name out of the Colorado GOP primary unless Trump can be allowed to appear on the ballot. DeSantis Christie and Haley have also been asked to do the same.

Colorado Republican Party said that he would not have to do this and instead the party will convert their election to a caucus, if the ruling is upheld. The Colorado Republican Party had previously outlined a contingency in which delegates were to be selected at a state convention on April 6, instead of a primary in March, according to a copy supplied to The Associated Press.

The Colorado case was one of many lawsuits filed across the country to disqualify Trump under Section 3. This section was intended to prevent former Confederates returning to government following the Civil War. The law bars anyone from office who took an oath of “supporting” the Constitution, but then “engaged” in “insurrection or rebellion” against it. It has only been used a few times since the decade following the Civil War.

Trump won every case up until Tuesday evening.

Trump is also facing four criminal charges, including a Washington indictment alleging that he illegally attempted to overturn the election results for 2020 and fuelled the riots on January 6, 2021.

Republicans have long denied these allegations and suggested that Trump’s behavior before leaving office did not violate the law.

In a poll conducted by AP-NORC in August, only 15% of Republicans thought Trump had committed a crime with respect to the riots of Jan. 6, compared to 47% of all adults. A further 23% of Republicans believe Trump did something unethical but not illegal. Meanwhile, 46% think that he didn’t do anything wrong.

DeSantis was visited by several Iowans on Wednesday who said that they were not happy with the Colorado court decision. They expected the Colorado court ruling to increase the support for the former president.

Sean Ealy of Ellsworth in Iowa, 46, said that he had voted for Trump both in 2016 and 2020. “It’ll be something else that they will use to attack Trump and its unconstitutionality.”

Ealy stated that he will not be supporting Trump at the caucuses next year, in part due to the prosecutions brought against him. Ealy called the decision of the court “awful,” “unconstitutional,” and said that it “certainly feels like a vendetta” against Trump.

Roger Fritz, a Jewell, Iowa-based engineer aged 57, has called the decision “bogus”. He believes citizens should be able to vote for anyone. Fritz said that he was worried about Trump’s legal troubles, but he attended a DeSantis rally in Ames on Tuesday.

He said, “I don’t agree with it.” “But that other party, and those people, are hell-bent to put Trump in prison and I can’t see how Trump could win if he is in jail.”

Biden’s team and White House officials declined to comment repeatedly on the Colorado ruling. This is despite the fact that his reelection campaign has intensified its efforts to highlight Trump’s most controversial statements and policy proposals.

Karine Jean-Pierre, White House Press Secretary, said: “The President is not involved. We’re not in this.” This is a legal proceeding and we are not involved.

Biden said, on a visit to Milwaukee, that there was “no doubt” Trump was a rebel, and that it was “self-evident.” You saw it all.”

We’ll let the courts decide whether the 14th Amendment is applicable or not.