'Eligibility Controversy' Trump Included on Ballot in California, the Most Populous State in the US

Former U.S. President Donald Trump [Image source=Yonhap News]

Amid controversy over former U.S. President Donald Trump's eligibility to run in the 2024 presidential election, the state of California, which has the largest population in the United States, has included Trump on the primary election ballot. California is traditionally considered a Democratic stronghold.

According to Yonhap News on the 29th (local time), Shirley Weber, California's Secretary of State and chief election official, reportedly included Trump's name on the certified list of primary election ballots and sent it to county election authorities the day before.

Earlier, some Democratic politicians had demanded that Secretary Weber remove Trump from the ballot. However, Gavin Newsom, the governor of California and a leading Democratic presidential contender, issued a statement last week saying, "There is no doubt that Donald Trump poses a threat to our freedom and democracy," but added, "In California, we win by voting. Everything else is just political chaos," dismissing the calls to exclude Trump.

California's population is approximately 39 million, the largest among the 50 U.S. states.

Positions on Trump's eligibility vary by state. The Secretary of State of Maine in the eastern U.S. ruled the day before that Trump is ineligible to run for president due to his involvement in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Earlier, on the 19th, the Colorado Supreme Court ordered the state government to exclude Trump from the Republican primary ballot. The Colorado Republican Party has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, and the final decision is expected to be made by the federal Supreme Court.