Does Trump's Conviction in Court Prevent Him from Becoming President?

With Trump's conviction in a New York state court, many want to know if his dream of returning to the White House is over. This question arose after the jury's verdict in a New York court, which found Trump guilty in the case of paying hush money to a porn actress. According to the jury's opinion, the former President of the United States, who is attempting to return to the White House, was found guilty on all 34 counts, including falsifying business records to conceal the reason for the payment. What does this ruling mean in simple terms, and what are its implications for Donald Trump's election campaign? In this report, we answer these questions: The New York court found Donald Trump guilty in the hush money case. Why was Trump convicted? The New York court's case revolves around Trump's payment of hush money to a porn actress who intended to publicize her alleged relationship with the billionaire before the 2016 presidential election. Stormy Daniels, after receiving $130,000 from Trump's lawyer, refrained from making this issue public. However, Trump's problem is more than just the payment; it involves the falsifications he made to conceal the reason for this payment, and he has now been fully convicted in this case, including for falsifying business records to hide the money paid to Stormy Daniels. What is Trump's punishment? It is still unclear. According to the court's announcement, Trump's punishment will be announced on July 11, 2023. Such convictions can carry sentences of up to four years in prison or financial penalties for the individual. Some say that for such crimes, a person might face penalties such as 'conditional release from the state,' meaning he would need permission from a police officer every time he leaves New York. However, this does not mean that if a prison sentence is issued, Trump will be sentenced to 34 counts of four years; ultimately, only one of these penalties will be enforced, and in the worst-case scenario, he could go to prison for four years. Trump may also be sentenced to house arrest, where instead of going to prison, he would have to wear an electronic bracelet and be monitored. If sentenced to house arrest, Trump would still be able to continue his election campaign, albeit virtually. However, some legal experts argue that due to Trump's lack of a criminal record, it is more likely that he will be fined. Probation is also another option on the judge's table when issuing a ruling. Despite all this, Trump can also appeal the punishment after it is announced and refuse to execute the sentence until the appeal is resolved. After the appellate court's ruling, he can also request a stay of execution. Does Trump's conviction prevent him from running for office? The answer to this question can be found specifically in the U.S. Constitution. According to the law, any American who is at least 35 years old and has lived in the country for at least 14 years can become President of the United States. Therefore, this conviction will not affect his efforts to return to the White House. Even if he is imprisoned, he will still face no issues in his candidacy or even being elected as President of the United States, and the ruling in this case will not create an obstacle for his return to the White House. In any case, neither this court ruling nor his other charges in other cases will, by themselves, prevent Trump from becoming President unless the people choose not to vote for him because of these cases or if he is tried and convicted on charges of 'insurrection.' The answer is no. Until now, neither any sitting president nor any former president in this country has faced criminal charges, let alone be found guilty in such a court. As a result, with the jury's verdict, Donald Trump's name is recorded as 'the first guilty president' in a criminal court in the history of this country. Can Trump pardon himself as President? According to U.S. laws, a president cannot use his federal power to issue pardons in state cases. Therefore, since this court ruling is 'state' and not 'federal,' even if he wins the presidential election, he will not be able to pardon himself. However, the laws do not fully clarify whether a president can issue a self-pardon in federal cases. It should be noted that although this case is state-level, he is also facing several federal cases, including cases in Florida and Washington, D.C. What do we know about Trump's criminal cases and their potential outcomes? Donald Trump still faces three other criminal cases, two of which are federal, and one is state-level, similar to the 'hush money' case. In his federal charges, he is first facing allegations in Washington of 'attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election' and must respond to the charges against him in court. His second federal case relates to Florida, where Trump is accused of removing classified government documents without permission from the White House and storing them at his estate in that state. His other state case is in Georgia, where the former president is accused of interfering in the 2020 presidential election process. The good news for Trump is that it is expected that none of these three cases will reach the trial stage before the presidential election. The impact of this ruling on public opinion in the U.S. is significant. Previously, in April, a joint poll conducted by CNN and SSRS, reputable political polling organizations in the U.S., showed that the court's ruling had little impact on Trump's supporters. In that poll, 76% of Trump's supporters said they would support him regardless of the court's opinion, and only 24% said they might reconsider their support if he were convicted. Additionally, in May, a poll conducted by Emerson College showed that only 25% of voters said that Trump's conviction in court would make them less likely to vote for him. However, a noteworthy point in all these polls is that the number of people who said they would definitely not vote for him if he were convicted is very limited. For example, a poll conducted by ABC in collaboration with Ipsos showed that only 4% of Trump's supporters said they would definitely reconsider their support for Trump if he were convicted in the New York case. Therefore, it seems that this ruling will have little significant impact on the level of support from Trump's supporters, and even his protests and attacks on the court may further enhance his 'anti-establishment' image among his supporters.