Donald Trump on Thursday became the first U.S. president, current or former, to be convicted of a felony. A New York jury found the Republican presidential candidate guilty on all 34 counts of the hush-money case. Trump was accused of paying hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who claimed the two had sex, conspiring to illegally influence the 2016 election, and falsifying business records.
Former President Donald Trump
Donald Trump On Thursday, Trump became the first U.S. president, current or former, to be convicted of a felony. A New York jury found the Republican presidential nominee guilty on all 34 counts of the hush-money case. Trump was accused of paying hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who claimed the two had sex, conspiring to illegally influence the 2016 election and falsifying business records.
A guilty verdict would not necessarily mean Trump would go to prison. Judge Juan Marchand, who set Trump’s sentence for July 11, could give him only the minimum sentence for the first-degree business falsification charge — probation or conditional release — or a fine or penalty.
“The judge can sentence him anywhere from zero to the maximum sentence, so they could sentence him to a few months in jail, they could sentence him to a few weeks in jail or they could sentence him to, say, go to jail every weekend for a certain period of time and then serve the remainder of his sentence on probation,” defense attorney Dan Horowitz told CBS News.
However, if convicted, Trump would lose some privileges — he would not be able to travel abroad, own or possess weapons, serve on a jury, or receive public social security benefits — but that shouldn’t affect his 2024 campaign, as the US still allows convicted felons to become president.
When it comes to voting rights, Florida follows other states in disenfranchising residents who have been convicted of felonies outside the state. In Trump’s case, New York law only strips him of his voting rights while he is incarcerated. A law passed by the state Democratic legislature in 2021 automatically restores voting rights once he is released from prison, even if he is on parole.
“If a Floridian’s voting rights are restored in the state where they were convicted, they are restored under Florida law,” Blair Bowie of the Campaign Law Center said in a post explaining Florida law, noting that people without Trump’s legal resources often get confused by Florida’s complex rules.
