Conviction of Donald Trump: Repercussions and Impact on US Presidential Polls

• There have been allegations that the Democratic regime is hijacking the independent constitutional institutions of the USA to stop Trump from running for President again.
• This development has an unprecedented impact on U.S. politics, which will affect the upcoming presidential election and create political uncertainty in Washington.
• Donald Trump’s legal battles add a new layer of complexity to the US political landscape, influencing both domestic and international perceptions of U.S. governance.

With Donald Trump found guilty in the court trials, some important questions and repercussions await the USA. Donald Trump has been found guilty of felony charges related to a financial exchange with former porn star Stormy Daniels, which was intended to protect his 2016 election campaign.

Recently, there have been allegations that the Democratic regime is hijacking the independent constitutional institutions of the USA to stop Trump from running for President. Examples cited include the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago (Trump’s residence in Florida) last year and the current felony charges against him.

Republican commentators suggest that the Democrats are trying to keep Donald Trump from running for president again to solidify their chances and prevent the undoing of their actions related to both domestic (migrants) and international (Ukraine and West Asia) issues.

Republican commentators say that Democrats are aiding migrants to the USA to use them as a political tool and seek votes in the upcoming election. Since Donald Trump opposes this, wanting to send the migrants back, it challenges the Democrats’ aspirations.

Secondly, Trump’s foreign policy objectives are inconsistent with those of the Democrats. The Democrats want the war in Ukraine to continue and have been very indecisive and confused about handling the crisis in West Asia. In contrast, Trump wants to end the war in Ukraine and take decisive action in West Asia to resolve the crisis there.

Though they seem to be successful in this effort, it may have adverse effects, potentially making a significant portion of the US population more sympathetic to Trump.

Some important questions following Donald Trump’s trial are:

1) Can Donald Trump contest the November presidential election despite being convicted?

Yes, he can still contest the election. The U.S. Constitution does not bar convicts from running for election, as there are only nominal requirements: the person must be a natural-born citizen of the USA, be at least 35 years old, and have been a resident of the USA for the last 14 years.

2) What if Donald Trump wins the election while he is in prison?

This is a bit complicated, and even U.S. constitutional experts are somewhat confused, as the Constitution implies rather than explicitly states the relevant procedures. However, Donald Trump can still become President despite being in prison. In this situation, he could challenge the judgment or seek a pardon (though a pardon may not be applicable in this case). Typically, the Vice President would continue to serve as the acting President with the consent of Trump and his cabinet.

Nonetheless, this development has an unprecedented impact on U.S. politics, which will affect the upcoming presidential election and create political uncertainty in Washington. The charges against Donald Trump and the ensuing legal battles add a new layer of complexity to the political landscape, influencing both domestic and international perceptions of U.S. governance. This situation intensifies partisan divisions and raises questions about the future direction of U.S. policy and leadership.

Aayush Pal

_{(Aayush is a post-graduate student in International Relations at Kalinga University, Raipur. The opinions expressed are the author’s own)}