(Trends Wide Spanish) — Former President Donald Trump turned himself in this Tuesday before a New York court to be prosecuted in relation to an investigation into alleged hush payments, which puts on the table a key question for 2024: can the former president be a candidate for the White House if you are convicted of a crime?
The courts have not fully resolved this issue, but eThe general consensus is that neither an indictment nor a conviction would legally prevent Trump from being elected..
Not only have convicted felons run for federal charges in the past, but at least one has done so with some success: Eugene Debs, a socialist candidate for the White House in the early 20th century, polled more than 900,000 votes in a presidential campaign. in 1920 which he carried out while imprisoned for an espionage conviction.
The reason why the general opinion is that a conviction would not prevent Trump’s attempt to return to the White House is the legal argument that only the Constitution sets the standards that candidates must meet to be president.
The magna carta establishes only three conditions for a person to be president, according to constitutional lawyer Rafael Penalver, consulted by Trends Wide en Español: they must have been born in the United States, they must have resided in the country for at least 14 years and they must be 35 years or older.
“It’s pretty well accepted that the requirements to be president are listed in the Constitution,” Derek Muller, professor of Election Law at the University of Iowa School of Law, told Trends Wide in November. “And the mere fact of having been convicted of a crime is not one of them, and states and Congress cannot add anything to those qualifications.”
“At no time does the Constitution say that having been convicted of a crime or having been prosecuted or even serving prison can prevent you from aspiring or serving as president,” says Penalver, in what he describes as a very “sui” trait. generis” of the North American country. In other words, according to the expert “theoretically it is feasible” that a person can govern even in an orange suit.
Muller, for his part, said that “it could be a practical barrier, it could be a fundraising barrier,” but in all cases “these are political issues, not legal.”
What did Trump say about his intentions?
Trump announced in November his intention to seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, in a bid to become the second president elected to two non-consecutive terms in the country.
The former president has said he “wouldn’t even think about dropping out” of the 2024 race if he is indicted.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on March 20 and updated on April 4. With information from Fredreka Schouten, Tierney Sneed, Angela Reyes, Kara Scannell, Devan Cole, and Zachary B. Wolf.
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(Trends Wide Spanish) — Former President Donald Trump turned himself in this Tuesday before a New York court to be prosecuted in relation to an investigation into alleged hush payments, which puts on the table a key question for 2024: can the former president be a candidate for the White House if you are convicted of a crime?
The courts have not fully resolved this issue, but eThe general consensus is that neither an indictment nor a conviction would legally prevent Trump from being elected..
Not only have convicted felons run for federal charges in the past, but at least one has done so with some success: Eugene Debs, a socialist candidate for the White House in the early 20th century, polled more than 900,000 votes in a presidential campaign. in 1920 which he carried out while imprisoned for an espionage conviction.
The reason why the general opinion is that a conviction would not prevent Trump’s attempt to return to the White House is the legal argument that only the Constitution sets the standards that candidates must meet to be president.
The magna carta establishes only three conditions for a person to be president, according to constitutional lawyer Rafael Penalver, consulted by Trends Wide en Español: they must have been born in the United States, they must have resided in the country for at least 14 years and they must be 35 years or older.
“It’s pretty well accepted that the requirements to be president are listed in the Constitution,” Derek Muller, professor of Election Law at the University of Iowa School of Law, told Trends Wide in November. “And the mere fact of having been convicted of a crime is not one of them, and states and Congress cannot add anything to those qualifications.”
“At no time does the Constitution say that having been convicted of a crime or having been prosecuted or even serving prison can prevent you from aspiring or serving as president,” says Penalver, in what he describes as a very “sui” trait. generis” of the North American country. In other words, according to the expert “theoretically it is feasible” that a person can govern even in an orange suit.
Muller, for his part, said that “it could be a practical barrier, it could be a fundraising barrier,” but in all cases “these are political issues, not legal.”
What did Trump say about his intentions?
Trump announced in November his intention to seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, in a bid to become the second president elected to two non-consecutive terms in the country.
The former president has said he “wouldn’t even think about dropping out” of the 2024 race if he is indicted.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on March 20 and updated on April 4. With information from Fredreka Schouten, Tierney Sneed, Angela Reyes, Kara Scannell, Devan Cole, and Zachary B. Wolf.
