While a subset of centrist and liberal pundits have been bending over backwards to justify not disqualifying twice-impeached former president Trump from the ballot due to 14th Amendment violations, Il Trumpe himself is making it clear what his acceptable methods for regaining power are (boldface mine):

Republican polling leader Donald Trump did not sign a loyalty oath requested of candidates for election in Illinois that asks, among other things, to swear that they won’t support overthrowing the government, according to an analysis of candidate petitions by the local news outlets WBEZ and Chicago Sun-Times…

Presidential hopefuls vying for a spot on Illinois’ March 19 primary ballot had to submit their nominating petitions to the State Board of Elections on Thursday or Friday. The loyalty pledge is not required but is a long-standing tradition that candidates undertake as part of that paperwork.

Trump has not publicly acknowledged the decision but had signed the oath during his presidential campaigns in 2016 and 2020. A spokesman for the Trump campaign did not immediately respond on Saturday to a request for comment.

The loyalty oath dates back to the 1950s McCarthy era, when such pledges became popular among lawmakers fearful about the potential infiltration of communism in the United States. The pledge asks candidates to swear they are not affiliated with communist organizations or any “foreign political agency, party, organization or government which advocates the overthrow of the constitutional government by force.”

The oath remains enshrined in Illinois law but has been struck down as unconstitutional on free speech grounds in federal courts.

It’s a dumb pledge, but he did sign it twice before, so I doubt it’s a matter of principle, as former right-wing Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger notes (boldface mine):

Kinzinger, though, told WBEZ Trump’s actions — he signed the loyalty oath before the insurrection, and didn’t now — should be interpreted literally by voters.

“What was the world like when he signed it in 2016 and when he signed it in 2020? Well, at that point, there had not been an attempted insurrection on the federal government,” Kinzinger said.

“The difference between the last two times he did it, and this time when he didn’t, is he has a track record of trying to overthrow the government,” Kinzinger said.

Of course, the oath does refer to foreign actors, so maybe that’s the part Trump is upset about…