The first felony conviction of a former U.S. president has sparked a lot of debate that is out of touch with reality.
A jury has found former President Donald Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with the $130,000 hush money paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. The verdict against the presumptive Republican presidential nominee and its potential impact on the November election has sparked confusion and outright falsehoods online.
Some social media users questioned the nature of the instructions given to the jury by New York Judge Juan Marchan, others interpreted the fabricated images and videos as legitimate, and Trump himself seemed confused about the maximum sentence he faces.
Below is a roundup of fact-checks by the USA TODAY Fact Check team about the jury verdict and events since then.
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Claim: Trump faces up to 187 years in prison if convicted
Our rating: False
This claim, made by Trump at a press conference on May 31, is completely off the mark. Each of the 34 charges for which Trump was convicted carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison. The sentences can run consecutively, meaning they must be served one after the other, but in New York state, Class E felonies carry a maximum sentence of 20 years. Read more
Claim: Trump can run for president, but he won’t be eligible to vote in the 2024 election
Our assessment: Partially incorrect
The post is correct that Trump’s felony conviction in New York does not prevent him from running for president. The U.S. Constitution does not explicitly bar felons from becoming president. But the post goes too far when it comes to whether Trump will be able to vote in the 2024 election. Legal experts have said that if Trump is not in prison on Election Day, he should be able to vote in Florida, where he lives. Read more
Claim: Jurors in Trump hush money trial didn’t need a unanimous verdict to convict
Our rating: False
The convictions on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records required a unanimous jury verdict. Read More
Claim: Post suggests video of crowd celebrating Trump’s conviction is real
Our verdict: Lack of context
It is a modified version of a video showing fans celebrating a last-minute goal scored by England against Wales during the 2016 UEFA European Football Championship (also known as Euro 2016). It has since been used as a meme template to show possible reactions to various news events. Read more
Claim: Photos show police detaining Trump
Our rating: Modified
Experts and online detection tools say the image was generated by artificial intelligence. Police did not detain Trump after his conviction on May 30. He remains free until his sentencing on July 11. Read more
Claim: Fox News didn’t cover Trump’s guilty verdict in hush money case
Our rating: False
Fox News covered the former president’s conviction across multiple platforms. Screenshots of coverage about Taco Bell date back to 2020. Read more
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