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Failed effort to boot Trump from ballot exposes 'radical' left's ‘pure lunacy’: state election chief

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Failed effort to boot Trump from ballot exposes 'radical' left's ‘pure lunacy’: state election chief

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The Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling to keep former President Donald Trump’s name on Colorado primary ballots is a win for democracy and further exposed the radical left’s “pure lunacy,” Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray told Fox News Digital. 

“It’s a huge moment for the American people,” Gray told Fox News Digital in a phone interview shortly following SCOTUS’ decision. “And I think one of the lessons of this is … the way the radical left despises the American people and our process, and what happens then is lunacy. And that’s what their whole argumentation and what they were trying to do was. It was pure lunacy.” 

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Each of the nine Supreme Court justices ruled in Trump’s favor in a decision released Monday, ending legal threats in a handful of states that were working to remove the former president’s name over claims he incited an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. 

“We conclude that States may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office. But States have no power under the Constitution to enforce Section 3 with respect to federal offices, especially the Presidency,” the opinion states.

WYOMING ELECTION CHIEF MOUNTS FULL-COURT PRESS AGAINST ‘RADICAL LEFT’S’ PUSH TO REMOVE TRUMP FROM BALLOT

Republican Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray.  (Wyoming Secretary of State )

Last year, a group of Colorado voters brought a lawsuit arguing Trump should be deemed ineligible from holding political office under a Civil War-era insurrection clause and that his name should thus be barred from appearing on the 2024 ballot. The group said Trump’s actions on Jan. 6, 2021, when supporters breached the U.S. Capitol, violated a clause in the 14th Amendment that prevents officers of the United States, members of Congress or state legislatures who “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the Constitution from holding political office.

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WYOMING JUDGE DISMISSES EFFORT TO BAR TRUMP FROM BALLOT

The Colorado Supreme Court ultimately ruled to bar Trump from the ballot, with justices writing in their opinion that Trump “incited and encouraged” the use of violence to prevent the peaceful transfer of power on Jan. 6, 2021, following the 2020 presidential election.

Trump subsequently appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, and ultimately notched a victory on Monday. 

Supreme Court Justices posing for an official photo at the Supreme Court. (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)

For months, Gray has been battling Democrats’ argument that Trump is ineligible to appear on the primary ballots over Jan. 6 – an argument he’s also been calling “bunk” and likely doomed to fail. 

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“We kind of saw this coming. Last year, we wrote a letter to the New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlon, when he was toying with the whole thing. And explained to him why this is totally inconsistent with the values of our republic, why Trump should be kept on the ballot for the New Hampshire primary, and why there was a national interest for other states to weigh in on this,” Gray told Fox News Digital. 

New Hampshire’s secretary of state ultimately said he would not invoke the 14th Amendment to remove Trump back in September. Gray went on to observe how the Colorado case was teeing up against Trump, and filed an amicus curiae brief, otherwise known as a friend of the court brief, with the Colorado Supreme Court to rectify a lower court’s ruling that labeled Trump an “insurrectionist.”

In January, Gray continued the battle when he filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of Trump remaining on the Colorado ballot. Gray’s amicus brief was the only one filed by a secretary of state explicitly in support of Trump remaining on the ballot, as opposed to other secretaries who filed a brief with the Supreme Court but argued on behalf of neither party. 

TOP WYOMING OFFICIAL SLAMS BRAKES ON COURT LABELING TRUMP ‘INSURRECTIONIST’: ‘OUTRAGEOUS’

“I think that we saw this coming. We saw the national interest here. That all 50 states had an interest in this case, because when one state denies electors to a presidential candidate, that affects every single other state because that makes it more difficult for a candidate to achieve the 270 to reach victory,” he said. 

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“On top of that, states with later primaries or caucuses, like Wyoming, are affected if one state wants to remove a candidate from the primary or caucus ballot. So all 50 states had an interest in this,” he noted. 

Former U.S. President Donald Trump waves to the crowd on the field during halftime in the Palmetto Bowl between Clemson and South Carolina at Williams Brice Stadium on November 25, 2023 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Gray’s efforts have earned him “some heat” from the Wyoming state legislature and local media, he said, pointing to an amendment in the Wyoming House’s version of a budget bill that would prevent him from filing amicus briefs in the future. 

He called the effort “very troubling,” noting that the Colorado case was of national interest, not just a case affecting Coloradans, and of interest to Wyoming voters, who overwhelmingly supported Trump in both 2016 and 2020.  

SUPREME COURT RULES UNANIMOUSLY FOR TRUMP IN COLORADO BALLOT DISQUALIFICATION DISPUTE

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“Even in the state’s House, some of these arguments of the radical left are leading to lunacy and conclusions that don’t make any sense. But that’s what happens. The fact that the radical left despises the American people, our Republic, the traditions of our republic, that’s what this leads to. And it was really important that the national Supreme Court stepped in,” he said. 

The Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Legal experts speculated last month, when the Supreme Court heard oral arguments regarding the Colorado case, that there was a strong chance they could unanimously rule in Trump’s favor. Justice Elena Kagan, for example, questioned whether one state should decide on behalf of the entire country who should be president. While Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson challenged the assertion that there was no ambiguity in Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.

“It was pretty clear that writing was on the wall,” Gray said when asked if he anticipated the unanimous ruling based on oral arguments. “It was pretty clear where they were headed.”

Overall, Gray argued the Colorado case, and other states that worked to remove Trump from the ballot, are examples of “the radical left’s” “Trump derangement syndrome,” which produces “nonsense.” 

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TRUMP SAYS SUPREME COURT RULING IN COLORADO CASE IS ‘UNIFYING AND INSPIRATIONAL’

“We’re going to continue to monitor the processes across our nation and be vigilant. Any time the people are able to choose for themselves, that’s a win for our republic and that’s what our elections are about. And I’m going to continue to unapologetically fight for the people of Wyoming, and the people across our country to choose who to elect for themselves,” Gray said. 

Ranked choice voting (RCV) comes in multiple forms and is used in a wide variety of states and localities around the U.S. (PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump took a victory lap following the Supreme Court’s decision Monday, saying it is a “great win for America.”

“Equally important for our country will be the decision that they will soon make on immunity for a president — without which, the presidency would be relegated to nothing more than a ceremonial position, which is far from what the founders intended,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “No president would be able to properly and effectively function without complete and total immunity.” 

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He added, “Our country would be put at great risk.” 

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Trump rushed from same hotel where Reagan assassination attempt unfolded in 1981

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Trump rushed from same hotel where Reagan assassination attempt unfolded in 1981

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President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were rushed out of the Washington Hilton ballroom Saturday night at the start of the White House Correspondents Dinner as shots rang out. 

Trump was swiftly whisked away amid the chaos and reported that he and the first lady, and his Cabinet members are safe on Truth Social.

More than 40 years ago, the Washington Hilton was the site of the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981 — a striking historical parallel as Trump was rushed from the same hotel Saturday night after gunfire erupted. It remains unclear if Trump was targeted in the chaos on Saturday evening. 

John Hinckley Jr. fired six shots at Reagan after he delivered remarks to members of the AFL-CIO. One of the bullets ricocheted off the presidential limousine and struck Reagan in the chest.

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Secret Service agents pushed Reagan into a car and was quickly rushed to the George Washington University Hospital. He was famously known for being in good humor when he was about to undergo treatment.

TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: SECRET SERVICE KNEW AIRSPACE PROTECTION WOULD END WITH FORMER PRESIDENT ONSTAGE

Security officials react as a shooter opens fire during the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, D.C., on April 25, 2026. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Three other people were also hit, including press secretary James Brady, a police officer and a Secret Service agent. 

President Ronald Reagan waves to onlookers moments before an assassination attempt by John Hinckley Jr. on March 30, 1981, outside the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. James Brady is visible third from the left. (The White House/Getty Images)

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Brady was shot in the eye and suffered brain damage. He ultimately died in 2014, and law enforcement officials ruled his death a homicide due to its connection to the 1981 shooting.

The hotel has since been dubbed by locals as the “Hinckley Hilton.”

First Lady Melania Trump and President Donald Trump attend the White House Correspondents’ dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., on April 25, 2026. This marks President Trump’s first attendance at the annual political press gala while in office. (Mandel Ngan/AFP)

Hinckley was acquitted of attempting to assassinate the president as a result of an insanity defense. His attorneys pointed to his narcissistic personality disorder and referenced his obsession with the movie “Taxi Driver” and actress Jodie Foster as the inspiration for the attack.

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President Trump returned to the White House and is set to deliver a statement in the White House Briefing Room.

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Trump rushed off stage at White House Correspondents’ Assn. dinner; reports of gunshots

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Trump rushed off stage at White House Correspondents’ Assn. dinner; reports of gunshots

President Trump was evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Assn. dinner on Saturday evening after an incident led to a security response and reports that gunshots were fired.

A Times reporter attending the dinner was forced to shelter in a restroom. He said he heard about four to five gunshots around 8:30 p.m. Eastern time. He said security told him that the person may have had a firearm. It was unclear whether the person was dead or wounded.

Guests at the White House Correspondents’ Assn. dinner mingle while awaiting updates about a shooting during the event at the Washington Hilton Hotel on Saturday.

(Andrea Castillo / Los Angeles Times)

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A presidential motorcade was spotted outside the Washington Hilton hotel at about 8:45 p.m., though Trump’s location is yet unknown.

At about the same time, an ambulance arrived on scene as about 100 event attendees were escorted out of the secured event. The bulk of the attendees are still inside the hotel.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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Tennessee Passed a Slate of Immigration Bills. Here’s What They Do.

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Tennessee Passed a Slate of Immigration Bills. Here’s What They Do.

The Tennessee General Assembly wrapped up its annual session this week, with the Republican supermajority signing off on a slate of bills codifying some of the party’s priorities on education and other issues.

Lawmakers expanded the number of school vouchers. They established new state power over the Memphis-area school district, and they put in place additional oversight of the state’s largest airport authorities.

But a central focus of the legislature’s work this year was undocumented immigrants.

Ahead of this year’s legislative session, Republican leaders worked closely with Stephen Miller, a top White House adviser, to craft another round of bills that are viewed as a way to enforce President Trump’s immigration crackdown at the state level.

Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, has already signed some of the bills, which will go into effect on July 1. He is widely expected to sign the others.

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Here’s what some of those bills aim to do.

Despite pushback from Democrats and several immigrant organizations, tests for a drivers license will now effectively have an English language requirement.

If an applicant does not speak English, the person can still take the initial written exam in another language. But the applicant will be able to receive only a nonrenewable, restricted license that expires after 18 months. At the end of that period, the driver will have to take a written exam in English to obtain a permanent license.

Under a bill approved this month, local and state employees would be required to report to the state, including the General Assembly, instances in which any undocumented person receives services at public hospitals or government social service agencies.

State and local agencies, including health-related ones, are mandated to maintain copies of documentation verifying citizenship, such as a drivers license or passport. They would also be required to report undocumented immigrants to a centralized immigration authority established last year.

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Mr. Miller and other Republicans have scrutinized fraud and waste across the country, and targeted undocumented immigrants as part of that campaign.

State and local government agencies are already required to verify whether a prospective employee is a U.S. citizen or has authorization to work in the United States. Another bill, recently signed into law by Mr. Lee, adds the threat of withholding funding if a government entity is found to have violated that process.

Some states have sought to criminalize certain violations of immigration law, and Tennessee is joining that push. Mr. Lee signed a law that makes it a misdemeanor if an immigrant facing an order of removal fails to leave Tennessee within 90 days, or if an undocumented immigrant has entered the state while facing a deportation order. Similar efforts have encountered legal challenges, including in Iowa under the Biden administration.

Under one bill, all Tennessee sheriffs would have to enter into formal cooperation agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

If they did not by Jan. 1, they would risk losing state funding.

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