Maine’s top election official, Secretary of State, Shenna Bellows, has ruled that Donald Trump cannot run for president next year in the state, citing a constitutional insurrection clause.

Mrs Bellows said Mr Trump was not eligible because of his actions leading up to the US Capitol riot in 2021.

Maine now joins Colorado as the two states to ban Mr Trump from the ballot, which in turn increases pressure on the Supreme Court to weigh in.

The 34-page ruling says that Mr Trump must be removed from the Maine ballot because of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution – which bans anyone from holding office that has “engaged in insurrection or rebellion”.