Verdict with consequences

Campaigning in prison? Trump would not be the first

Trump leaves the court in Manhattan after the verdict on Thursday.

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/Steven Hirsch)

Donald Trump has been found guilty on all counts in the hush money trial. He now faces a prison sentence of several years. Even if it is unlikely that Trump will actually go to prison, this would not prevent him from running in the presidential election. He could even be sworn in behind bars.

Following the historic guilty verdict in New York, the sentence is still pending and is due to be announced by July 11. The ex-president is a first-time offender and has not committed any violent crimes, so he is likely to get off with a fine or probation. It is also possible that he will be placed under house arrest.

It is therefore unlikely that Judge Juan Merchan will actually impose a prison sentence on Trump - a term of up to four years would be possible. But even if Trump does end up behind bars, this does not preclude him from running against Joe Biden in the presidential election in November. After all, there are only a few criteria for candidates.

What does the US constitution say?

According to the US Constitution, the following criteria must be met in order to run for president:

• The person must be born in the USA.
• The person must be over 35 years old.
• The person must have lived in the USA for the past 14 years.

Historical model for election campaigning in prison
There is even a historical role model for an election campaign run from prison. In 1920, the socialist Eugene Debs campaigned from prison. He was serving a three-year sentence for urging his supporters to oppose conscription during the First World War. Debs received three percent of the vote in the race for the presidency. Trump would be the first convicted candidate to actually have a chance of winning the office of head of state.

Trump leaves the court in Manhattan after the verdict on Thursday.

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/Steven Hirsch)

In prison, Trump could theoretically also be sworn in. However, this raises many practical questions. For example, the 77-year-old is already entitled to lifelong personal protection as a former president. It is unclear how this could be implemented in prison.

Above all, how exactly should he be able to carry out his official duties? The US magazine "Politico" refers to the opinion of legal experts, according to which a constitutional crisis would be inevitable and the prison sentence would have to be suspended so that Trump can fulfill his presidential duties.

Donation website collapsed
Trump is certainly trying to use the guilty verdict to his advantage. Immediately after the verdict, his team asked supporters for donations. "I am a political prisoner," it said in an email and on the Republican politician's donation website. "I was convicted in a rigged witch hunt trial: I did nothing wrong," Trump wrote. "But with your support at this moment in history, we will win back the White House and make America great again." The donation website subsequently collapsed on Thursday.

The campaign team of Trump's political opponent, incumbent Biden, also called on his supporters to whip out their credit cards. "Convicted felon or not, Trump will be the Republican nominee for president," wrote the Democrat's team. Trump will probably collect record amounts of donations because of the conviction and can then spend this money on the election campaign. "If you've been waiting for the perfect time to make your first donation to Joe Biden's re-election campaign, today is the day," it continued.

Trump's historical role model Debs also used his condemnation to mobilize voters more than 100 years ago. Supporters of the socialist wore buttons with the inscription "Prisoner No. 9653" during the 1920 election campaign. Similar buttons with Donald Trump's likeness have now also appeared on eBay.