The presidential oath set out in the Constitution states that a president must “defend the Constitution.” “Defend the Constitution” is metaphoric and means “defend the nation, its government and its rule of law,” the three entities created by the Constitution.
By any rational standard, Donald Trump’s criminal indictments and statement “I want to be a dictator for one day” render him unqualified to defend the nation’s government and rule of law. Hence, the presidential oath cannot lawfully be administered to him, and he cannot become president.
In short, the administration of the presidential oath by the chief justice of the United States serves as a constitutional gatekeeper to prevent an unqualified person from becoming president. Trump is unqualified to be president, so he is barred from swearing the oath and is thereby barred from the presidency.
— David Knapp
Anchorage
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