Former President of the United States, Donald Trump, was charged with 34 felony convictions on May 30, 2024, becoming the first U.S. president ever to be found guilty. The 2024 US election will be held in November; where this issue is expected to affect public opinion on the candidate and voting results.
Trump was accused of falsifying business records to cover up his scandal with Stormy Daniels, an American pornographic film actress ahead of the 2016 presidential election. In this case, testimonies from the prosecution played a significant role. Stormy Daniels detailed her encounter with Trump and his former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, who has testified that he had paid her hush money of $130,000 to ensure her silence about Trump’s alleged affair in 2006, and Trump recorded the reimbursement to Michael Cohen as legal expenses. Still, Donald Trump denied his guilt, describing the trial as “rigged” and “disgraceful.”
The Republican party still firmly supports Donald Trump as a presumptive nominee for the upcoming presidential election. His sentencing is set for July 11th, a few days before the Republican National Convention.
For the following charges, he can be sentenced to pay probation and fines or be incarcerated for a maximum of 4 years or shorter. Considering Trump’s position and the fact that he has no prior criminal records, he will likely get a lighter penalty. However, the sentence may not be carried out before the election date on November 5th because there is a potential that he will appeal the verdict.
If Trump gets reelected, he can pardon himself for two of three other criminal cases he is involved in including obstruction, business fraud, and election subversion. His conviction does not limit his ability to run for president because there are only three requirements for a presidential candidate: to be a natural-born citizen, be at least 35 years old, and have been a US resident for at least 14 years. Therefore, he fulfills all the listed conditions which can result in controversial perspectives on the qualifications written in the Constitution.
In a poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, 48%, or about half of the adult population, approved of Trump’s conviction, which indicates that there is a possibility of declined support. This will be his major weakness, like how during the recent debate between Trump and Biden, Biden called him a convicted felon
It is unlikely he will go to jail because he has a strong legal defense team, including litigators Todd Blanche and Emil Bove.
