This upcoming November, the presidential election will feel awfully similar to our most recent election, with Joe Biden leading the Democratic party and Donald Trump heading the Republicans. Trump, who served as president of the U.S. from 2017 to 2021, being on trial has sparked the interest of many and made national headlines. This marks not only the first time a former president has faced criminal charges but also the first time one has been convicted of a crime. Since Trump is the leading Republican candidate, this leaves the future of the election rather uncertain as people wonder if this could affect the election’s outcome.
The trial, which began in April, involves a hush money situation that Trump instigated. This resulted in him being charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records. The accusation primarily involves payoffs made to pornographic film actress, Stormy Daniels, who revealed that Trump had a sexual affair with her in 2006. Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, paid her thousands of dollars to keep her from exposing the story because if it had surfaced, it could have potentially harmed Trump’s chances in the 2016 election. The compensation Cohen received for carrying out these payments was falsely labeled in records as simply legal expenses, which is why Trump ended up in legal trouble.
On May 30th, the verdict was given, and Trump was found guilty on all charges. This coming July, he will be officially sentenced, with possible punishments ranging from a fine to time in prison.
“I doubt he will be given jail time,” social science teacher Steven Coleman remarked, “and I also think there will be more twists to the story as he appeals the case.” Coleman is interested in the trial due to the fact that nothing like it has ever happened before, but he doubts that the outcome will hold much sway in the election. “I think almost all voters made up their minds about Trump long ago, and I’m skeptical these criminal cases will have an impact,” he said. Coleman has gone over the trial with students in his Street Law class, utilizing discussions and podcasts to inform the students of the events.
Senior Jackson Harrison is a student in this class and he explained how the trial leaves many questions unanswered in regards to the election Trump will likely be running in. “If he is convicted and sentenced, it still does not necessarily stop him from participating in or winning the election,” Harrison said. He referred to this situation as “uncharted waters”, making it hard to predict how exactly it will affect Trump’s candidacy.
With the former president officially declared guilty, interested observers will simply have to wait to hear Trump’s fate in the coming months. Only time will tell whether the 2024 election will feel the effects of this decision and exactly what kind of precedent this will set for future political and legal entanglements remains to be seen.
