Former President Donald Trump has chosen not to sign a non-mandatory loyalty oath, pledging not to “advocate the overthrow of the government” ahead of the 2024 election, as revealed in an analysis by radio station WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times on Saturday, January 6.
Leading the 2024 GOP presidential primary and boasting a steadfast base known as MAGA, Trump’s decision contrasts with his adherence to a similar tradition during the 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns when he signed a loyalty oath document for Illinois election authorities.
The loyalty oath, although not legally obligatory, has been a customary practice for presidential candidates submitting their nominating petitions to the Illinois State Board of Elections for the state’s primary, scheduled for March 19.
While the document stems from a Cold-Era law that became non-mandatory in the 1970s, its clauses include affirmations that candidates are not associated with communist organizations and explicit pledges not to teach or advocate the overthrow of the U.S. government or the state of Illinois.
President Joe Biden and Republican 2024 presidential candidate Governor Ron DeSantis have both signed the oath, according to WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times. However, fellow Republican presidential contenders Nikki Haley and Chris Christie opted not to sign it.
Reacting to Trump’s omission, President Biden took to social media, stating, “I said Donald Trump is willing to sacrifice our democracy to put himself in power. I wasn’t exaggerating.”
Former Representative Adam Kinzinger, a Republican from Illinois, and a member of the House select committee investigating the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, questioned Trump’s motives for not committing to the loyalty oath.
Kinzinger posed the question, “Why wouldn’t he sign it? Has he been advised maybe not to sign it because maybe there’s some legal exposures…given that oath, if he signed it, would be a violation of everything he actually did on Jan. 6th, 2021, and leading up to it?”
Meanwhile, Democratic Illinois Governor JB Pritzker shared his thoughts on social media, remarking, “Pledging not to overthrow our democracy is a hard thing to do when you’ve already attempted it once.”
This development comes three years after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., attempting to halt the certification of Biden’s 2020 election win. Trump, facing federal charges related to the riot, has pleaded not guilty, asserting the case’s political motivation.
