Trump believes Supreme Court arguments to keep him on the ballot were 'very strong' and says January 6 was an 'insurrection caused by Nancy Pelosi'

• The former president said he was confident the justices would rule his way 
• ‘Our arguments were very, very strong,’ he told reporters at Mar-a-Lago 
• He spoke after the Supreme Court heard arguments about his eligibility to run 

Minutes after his lawyers finishing battling to keep him on the ballot, former President Donald Trump stepped out of his Mar-a-Lago home and declared he was very pleased about the way arguments had gone at the Supreme Court.

He cut a relaxed figure on the steps of his Florida club as he said it had been a ‘beautiful’ thing to hear.

His lawyers had made ‘strong’ arguments,’ he added, about the potential dangers of striking the 2024 frontrunner from the ballot.

But as he discussed the hearing, he turned angry at the way he said he his words on Jan. 6, 2021 had been misrepresented and he momentarily seemed to suggest the events did amount to an insurrection, before correcting himself.

‘I heard and I watch and the one thing I’ll say is they kept saying about what I said right after the insurrection,’ he said.

Former President Donald Trump said he was pleased with the way arguments had gone at the Supreme Court on Thursday

Sen. Roger Marshall R-Kan. and Sen. Tommy Tuberville R-Ala. speak to reporters outside of the U.S. Supreme Court

‘Because think it was an insurrection caused by Nancy Pelosi.

‘This was an insurrection … if it was an insurrection because there were, there was no anything … except for the fact they shot Ashley Babbitt.’

Babbitt was a Trump supporter who joined the crowd that invaded the Capitol before being shot dead by a police officer.

On Thursday, Trump supporters lined up overnight to secure seats inside the Supreme Court to hear arguments that picked over some of the events of that day and once again highlighted the unprecedented nature of the former president’s campaign.

And it is exactly the sort of case that justices prefer to avoid, setting the nation’s highest court as the final decider in a political dispute.

The stakes could not be higher for the former president.

Last year the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Trump incited the attack on the U.S. Capitol, ‘an insurrection,’ making him ineligible to be on the state’s primary.

On Thursday, the justices appeared skeptical about the arguments made by the Colorado lawyers.

Which was all good news for Trump, as he prepared to travel to Nevada where he is on course to win the Republican caucuses by a huge margin.

He emerged from his Florida headquarters minutes after the arguments had ended.

‘I’m a believer in the Supreme Court,’ he told DailyMail.com ‘I listened today. Our arguments were very, very strong.

Trump said he had listened to arguments on Thursday morning. He cut a relaxed figure as he emerged from his Mar-a-Lago home just after arguments concluded

DailyMail.com was among a small number of journalists at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday

Supporters and opponents of Trump gathered in front of the Supreme Court Thursday

‘An argument that is very important is the fact that you’re leading in every race, you’re leading in every state.

‘You’re leading in the country against both Republican and Democrats and Biden.’

‘And can you take the person that’s leading everywhere and say, Hey, we’re not gonna let you run? You know, I think that’s pretty tough to do.’

His warm words struck a contrast with his frequent appearances outside other courthouses, where he has railed against judges, court staff and prosecutors that he says are embarked on a witch hunt against him.

And it reflected the consensus view that the nine justices appeared poised to keep him on the ballot, reversing the ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court.

Judges there decided that Section 3 of the 14th amendment ruled him out. But it is the first time that part of the Constitution, initially added to keep Confederate leaders from taking up official roles after the Civil War, had been applied to a presidential candidate.

Although it applies only to Colorado, any decision will have an impact nationally, with other states likely to follow the precedent, derailing Trump’s election hopes.

Trump is seen here urging his supporters to march on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s election victory. That day overshadows his 2024 run

The 14th amendment has been around since 1868, but the Supreme Court has never before considered Section 3, known as the insurrection clause. Pictured January 6 riot on the Capitol

His lawyers are deploying a range of arguments to say the law was incorrectly applied.

They say the Jan. 6 attack was not an insurrection. And even if it was, Trump did not take part. He even used the word ‘peacefully’ on the day as he called on supporters to protest.

They also say that the wording of the relevant clause is designed to apply to ‘officers’ who take an oath – not presidents or candidates to be president.

On top of all that, Colorado does not have the power to disqualify Trump. Congress needs to implement procedures governing the process.

In the meantime, the case has allowed Trump to raise campaign money.

‘Arguments have already begun,’ he said in an emailed appeal on Thursday morning. ‘So at this very moment, I’m calling on EVERY pro-Trump patriot to chip in and proudly say: KEEP PRESIDENT TRUMP ON MY BALLOT!’

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