Kaine: ‘Powerful argument’ 14th Amendment disqualifies Trump from running in 2024

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said Sunday there is a “powerful argument” to be made that the 14th Amendment disqualifies former President Trump from running in 2024.

Kaine spoke on ABC’s “This Week” about a legal argument put forward by some experts who say that Trump may not be qualified to run for president under the 14th Amendment, which states that no one can be elected to the presidency if they “have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”

“In my view, the attack on the Capitol that day was designed for a particular purpose at a particular moment,” he said. “And that was to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power as laid out in the Constitution. So I think there’s a powerful argument to be made. My sense is it’s probably going to get resolved in the courts. But, you know, I think what we have to focus on in our side is, is we just got to win in 2024.”

Kaine, who ran for vice president alongside Hillary Clinton in 2016, said that instead of pursuing a second impeachment against Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks on the Capitol, it might have been “more productive” to issue a declaration about the 14th Amendment. He noted that while there is a legal argument to be made about whether Trump could be disqualified, Democrats should focus on winning in 2024.

“The President and the [Democratic National Committee] are investing heavily in Virginia, which is great, and that will then send a message about 2024,” he said. “So I’ll let the lawyers worry about the 14th Amendment. My colleagues and I — our focus is on winning.”