Donald Trump has become the first former US president to receive a criminal conviction. After being found guilty of all 34 counts of falsifying business records in his criminal trial in New York, questions abound about the medium- and long-term implications of the May 30 ruling.
Judge Juan Merchan will not announce the sentence he would impose on the former president until July 11, but the decision of the jury of 12 New Yorkers now makes him a convicted criminal. For many people, this would pose a serious problem because they could stop receiving government assistance such as public housing, or affect their job applications or loans, according to experts at Boston University School of Law. These consequences, of course, would not affect Trump.
[¿Trump irá a prisión? ¿Puede votar o volver a ser presidente? Qué sigue tras ser declarado culpable]
Regarding his campaign as the virtual Republican candidate, no law prevents him from running for president. The United States Constitution establishes only three requirements for presidential candidates: being a natural born citizen, being at least 35 years old, and having resided in the country for at least 14 years.
So what rights are restricted to a convicted felon?
You will not be able to carry weapons
Federal law prohibits people with felony convictions from possessing or acquiring firearms. And according to the Giffords Law Center, cited by Politifact, Trump would also be prohibited from possessing a gun under state laws in Florida, where he lives, and in New York, where he was convicted.
In the wake of the ruling, the police department is seeking to revoke the former president’s license to carry a concealed weapon, according to a spokesperson for the New York Police Department (NYPD). Trump has the right to file a challenge to the measure, the newspaper added.
In some cases, people convicted in New York can regain their gun rights. In Trump’s case, because the 34 charges were all class E, meaning they are less serious crimes, the former president could be eligible to have his right to bear arms restored, according to Politifact.
If he returns to the White House, it would be paradoxical that Trump is the head of the armed forces but cannot legally carry one.
[Esto es lo que revelan las primeras encuestas después de la condena de Trump]
Could I travel outside the country?
There are no legal restrictions on the ability of convicted felons in the United States to travel, unless established by a court order, Axios explains. However, many countries have rules that prohibit entry to convicted people, including: Canada, China, Israel and the United Kingdom.
If Trump were to return to the White House, experts cited by Axios pointed out that leaders of other countries could make an exception for the leader of the executive branch in the United States.
Will he be able to vote for himself in the November elections?
Trump, a Florida resident, will be able to vote if he is not in prison in New York on Election Day. New York’s law only removes the right to vote from people convicted of crimes when they are incarcerated, according to The Associated Press. Once they are released from prison, their rights are automatically restored, even if they are on parole.
So as long as Trump isn’t sent to prison, he can vote for himself in Florida in November. He will be sentenced on July 11, four days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where Republican leaders are expected to formally announce him as their nominee.
His conviction, and even his imprisonment, would not prevent Trump from continuing his presidential campaign. The Convention’s rules adopted last year do not include any specific provision on what happens if his presumptive nominee is found guilty of a crime.
The Vermont Republican Party, however, is prohibited from endorsing a candidate with a conviction, according to the party’s published rules.
“The state committee will not endorse or promote any candidate for elective office who…is a convicted felon,” read the rules, which govern everything from party meetings to how delegates must vote at national conventions. .
The rule has been in effect since at least 2013, according to an archived version of the rules. But in early 2022, the party appears to have modified them to allow the state committee to exempt a candidate from this by majority vote.
It’s unclear whether such a rule will affect how Vermont Republican delegates vote at the Republican National Convention in July.
With information from The Associated Press.
