On May 30, 2024 , a New York jury found former U.S. President Donald Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records. He is the first U.S. president to be convicted of a felony.
All major news outlets covered the news in different ways and answered different questions about the verdict. For more background on the case, NPR's coverage outlined the arguments made by both prosecution and defense.
But many people want to know what happens next. Here's a summary of the main points:
While Trump has been found guilty, he has not yet been sentenced. Judge Juan Merchan has scheduled Trump's sentencing hearing for July 11. That hearing is when any punishments, including potential prison time, will be decided. Trump is expected to appeal the decision, which could delay the start date of his punishment, whatever it may be, until after the November presidential election.
Both NBC and CBS spoke to experts who believed that Trump will likely not face any prison time for numerous reasons. Trump is the Republican nominee who will be facing incumbent Democratic President Joe Biden.
Trump is still eligible to run for president and hold that office — nothing in the U.S. Constitution prevents him from doing so. As reported by Politico , he is far from the first criminal to run for the office. He could also theoretically lose his right to vote, as reported by CNN , however, this is unlikely, since it would require him to receive prison time.
The conviction is not likely to significantly shift public opinion, according to analysis from ABC News . The election is still five months away, which is an incredibly long time in politics — the ABC story noted that the notorious Access Hollywood tape, in which Trump openly talked about himself groping and sexually assaulting women, was released about a month before the 2016 presidential election, and Trump quickly recovered any support he lost.
Sources:
Bromwich, Jonah E., and Ben Protess. "Live Updates: Trump Guilty on All Counts in Hush-Money Case." The New York Times , 30 May 2024. NYTimes.com , https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/05/30/nyregion/trump-trial-verdict .
"Donald Trump Was Convicted on Felony Charges. Will He Go to Prison?" NBC News , 30 May 2024, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-prison-hush-money-trial-verdict-rcna153963 .
Feuerherd, Ben. "Yes, Donald Trump Can Still Be President as a Convicted Felon." Politico , 30 May 2024, https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/30/can-trump-still-be-president-00160433 .
Hubbard, Kaia. Is Trump Going to Prison? What to Know about the Possible Sentence after His Conviction - CBS News . 30 May 2024, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-convicted-prison-sentence-new-york-criminal-trial/ .
"Live Updates: Donald Trump Guilty on All 34 Felony Counts in Hush Money Trial." NBC News , 30 May 2024, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/live-blog/trump-trial-jury-deliberations-hush-money-case-rcna154607 .
News, A. B. C. "How Trump's Guilty Verdict Will Impact the 2024 Presidential Election." ABC News , https://abcnews.go.com/538/trumps-guilty-verdict-impact-2024-presidential-election/story?id=110650906 . Accessed 30 May 2024.
Wolf, Zachary B. "Analysis: Can Trump Still Run for President? Can He Still Vote? | CNN Politics." CNN , 30 May 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/30/politics/can-trump-still-run-for-president-what-matters/index.html .
X, et al. "Former President Trump Is Found Guilty in Historic New York Criminal Case." NPR , 30 May 2024. NPR , https://www.npr.org/2024/05/30/nx-s1-4977352/trump-trial-verdict .
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