Will Donald Trump Become the First US President Imprisoned? The answer is predictable

 Former US President Donald Trump was convicted of falsifying records to cover up hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 United States presidential election. This decision made Trump the first president in United States history to be convicted of criminal charges.

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Trump Found Guilty of 34 Felony Cases

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Donald Trump does not appear to be going to prison because of the crimes he committed. Photo/AP A A A WASHINGTON - Former US President Donald Trump was convicted of falsifying records to cover up hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 United States presidential election.

 This decision makes Trump the first president in United States history to be convicted due to criminal charges. Trump Found Guilty of 34 Crimes Photo/AP After seven weeks of trial, shortly after 5 p.m. local time (2100 GMT) on Thursday, a New York City jury unanimously found him guilty of 34 felony counts of first-degree falsifying business records. Daniels claims that in the run-up to the 2016 election that Trump ultimately won, he paid her $130,000 to keep quiet about a sexual relationship the two had had a decade earlier. Trump denies the affair.

 Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, made the payments, and testified that he acted on Trump's direct orders. Cohen insists Trump paid him back, using money raised for his election campaign. The 34 charges relate to the various ways Trump categorized this hush money as legal fees in his records, which the court said included:

It's Unlikely That Trump Will Go to Jail

According to Al Jazeera, it is unlikely that Trump will go to prison, although technically it is possible. While paying hush money is not illegal, each forgery charge carries a sentence ranging from one year to a maximum of four years.

So, in theory, Trump could face a total of 136 years in prison. In practice, however, it is rare for a person who has only been convicted of falsifying business records and has no other criminal history to be sentenced to prison in New York.

 Instead, punishments such as probation, fines or community service are more common. Even those sentenced to prison on forgery charges typically serve a year or less, and this is also usually the case if they were also convicted of another crime such as fraud or grand larceny – which is not the case for Trump.

At the end of Thursday's hearing, sentencing was set for 10am (14:00 GMT) on July 11, at the request of defense lawyer Todd Blanche. Trump will return to court for his sentencing hearing. The date falls four days before Trump is expected to be officially nominated as the party's presidential nominee at the Republican national convention.

Trump Could Win the 2024 Election

Yes, Trump can still run for US president in the November 2024 election. The US Constitution requires that presidents be at least 35 years old and be a US citizen who has lived in the country for at least 14 years – Trump meets all the criteria. This law does not prohibit convicted felons from running for or winning the presidency.

Trump Will Appeal

After Trump was convicted, his lawyer, Blanche, asked Judge Juan Merchan to overturn the guilty verdict. But Merchan quickly rejected the routine and pro forma request.

 However, after sentencing, Trump could challenge his sentence in a New York appeals court and possibly also in the Court of Appeals. Her attorney is believed to be laying the groundwork for potential arguments, including: He could accuse the judge of bias, arguing that the judge's daughter heads a firm with several Democratic clients, including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

 He could argue that Judge Merchan made legal errors, including allowing the jury to hear Daniels' lewd testimony. Blanche argued that Daniels' description of the power imbalance with Trump being older and taller, was a “rape whistle,” irrelevant to the case.

 Trump could argue that the charges are legally meritless. Forgery alone is a misdemeanor in New York, but is elevated to a felony if it is committed to help commit or conceal another crime.

 In this case, the other crime, according to prosecutors, was conspiracy to violate state election laws. However, Trump's lawyers could argue that because he participated in the federal election, state election laws do not apply to him, so he should be charged with a misdemeanor, not a felony.

Trump Supporters Will Remain Loyal According to a poll released on May 30 by NPR, PBS NewsHour and Marist, 67 percent of respondents said their votes in November would not be affected if Trump is convicted. 

However, former prosecutor and government ethics expert Melanie Sloan told Al Jazeera that a guilty verdict would likely drive a wedge between Trump and his more moderate constituents.

A poll conducted by Bloomberg and Morning Consult in January showed that 53 percent of voters in key states would refuse to vote for Trump if he was convicted. 

Trump's election campaign began banking on the conviction even before the conviction was announced: his campaign launched fundraising appeals, sent text messages deeming him a political prisoner and began selling black “Make America Great Again” hats to mark a “dark day” in history ".

Trump will hold a press conference on Friday at Trump Tower as part of his campaign for the US presidential election. Trump's daughter-in-law and co-chair of the Republican National Committee, Lara Trump, told Fox News on Thursday that Trump will hold a campaign event and an online rally if he is found guilty and sentenced to home confinement.

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