Constitution of the United States of America (USA) permits Donald Trump to run for the office of president in the US 2024 election despite being convicted on 34 charges.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Trump was convicted on Thursday on all charges of felony falsification of business records, solidifying his status as the first U.S. president to face such legal consequences.
Trump, who is the 45th president of the U.S., is set for an election rematch against incumbent President Joe Biden coming this November.
Following the historic verdict by the New York court, Trump will now be sentenced on July 11. This comes just months before the US votes in the elections.
“This trial is rigged and a disgrace. The real trial will be on November 5th by the people. This was done by the Biden administration in order to hurt a political opponent,” Trump said after the jury delivered the verdict.
The US Constitution sets out relatively few eligibility requirements for presidential candidates: they must be at least 35, be a “natural born” US citizen and have lived in the US for at least 14 years.
Trump fulfils all requirements of the Constitution, irrespective of his conviction. There are no rules in the Constitution blocking candidates with criminal records from contesting the US presidential election.
Analysts have said the conviction of Trump would motivate his supporters, MAGA, but said the key concern is whether this will impact his prospects in crucial states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Georgia.
According to betting markets, Trump remains favourite to win the November US presidential election, despite the conviction.
According to crypto holders gambling on the outcome of the U.S. presidential election in November, nothing has fundamentally changed.
On crypto betting site, Polymarket Trump’s odds of winning has held stable at about 56%, mirroring many mainstream political polls. After the verdict was announced, live odds meandered between 53% and 55%.
TNG reports Trump’s historic New York hush money trial began with jury selection in April. The trial of the case stemmed from payments made to an adult film actress ahead of the 2016 election.
Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records as part of a scheme involving his former lawyer Michael Cohen to conceal the 130,000 dollars pay-off made to Stormy Daniels.
Daniels said the money was given to keep her quiet about an affair she had with Trump in 2006.
He has admitted to paying her on the eve of the 2016 election to stop her “false and extortionist accusations” but denied any sexual encounter.
Trump’s lawyers made several unsuccessful attempts to have the hush money trial delayed; a tactic they have also used in the former president’s three other ongoing criminal cases.
The process of selecting a jury in New York, a heavily Democratic city, took several days, with hundreds of people ultimately whittled down to just 12 jurors and six alternates.
Prosecutors argued that Trump attempted to cover up the payment in an effort to improve his chances in the 2016 election race, which he ultimately won.
The former Republican president, who is set to face off against Democratic incumbent Joe Biden in November’s election, had pleaded not guilty.
After a seven-week-long trial, Trump now faces a prison sentence of up to four years for each felony count, though court observers say it is unlikely he will face time behind bars
Meanwhile, the Republican National Convention will hold in Wisconsin in days, when Trump is expected to be officially recognised as the party’s presidential nominee.