Conservative entrepreneur and 2024 GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has stirred the political landscape with a theory that the Republican establishment is covertly working to keep former President Donald Trump off of primary ballots.

Ramaswamy suggested that there is an ongoing, concerted effort within the GOP to sideline Trump. According to him, the move is not just about distancing the party from Trump's controversial persona, but rather about positioning a 'chosen candidate' by the establishment to lead the party in the upcoming elections.

"Now, the fact that they're not doing it reveals that there's something deeper going on," he said. "This isn't just the Democrats. There's a force within the Republican establishment that's propped up a chosen puppet and they're actually rooting for this same outcome every bit as much as the Democrats are."

The Republican candidate's statement comes in the wake of recent developments where Trump's eligibility for ballot access has been denied in Colorado and now Maine. Ramaswamy pledged to withdraw his own candidacy in any other states where Trump is forcibly removed from the ballot. He then once again challenged Chris Christie, Nikki Haley, and Ron DeSantis to do the same.

Maine's Secretary of State, Shenna Bellows, ruled Trump ineligible to appear on the state's 2024 Republican primary ballot on Thursday. The decision, stemming from challenges based on the Fourteenth and Twenty-Second Amendments, marked another significant moment in political history.

The ruling addressed the disqualification of those who have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States. The Secretary of State concluded, "Mr. Trump's primary petition is invalid…he is not qualified to hold the office of the President under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment."