Donald Trump was convicted Thursday on all 34 counts in his hush-money trial in Manhattan, making him the first former U.S. president to become a convicted felon. The verdict came after the jury members, all of whom have remained anonymous for the duration of the trial, deliberated for 11 hours. The case centered around whether Trump broke the law in 2016 by directing his former fixer, Michael Cohen, to pay $130,000 to adult-film star Stormy Daniels in an effort to bury the story of her sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier, later falsifying his business records to hide the scheme. The deal came in the waning days of the 2016 election, when Trump was facing backlash both for bragging about sexual assault in an Access Hollywood tape and the subsequent wave of sexual-misconduct allegations against him.
Now, Trump is deep into another election cycle, simultaneously fighting for a second term and against three more criminal cases. Here’s how the guilty verdict will affect him and his campaign.
Can Trump still run for president?
Yes. Being a convicted felon does not prevent Trump from continuing his campaign or even becoming president. He’ll also be allowed to vote in Florida, where he resides, as long as he does not serve prison time in New York or as long as he’s served his sentence in full by November.
Does Trump go to jail now?
We don’t know Trump’s sentence yet. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 11, four days before he is set to formally become the GOP’s presidential nominee at the Republican National Convention. Trump faces up to four years in prison, but whether he’ll serve any time behind bars will be up to Judge Juan Merchan. Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg has yet to say whether his office will seek prison time for Trump; other potential punishments include a fine or probation. Judge Merchan could also determine that Trump won’t serve his sentence out until he exhausts all his appeal options.
Will Trump appeal his conviction?
It is widely expected that Trump will appeal the case. He can challenge his conviction after he is sentenced.
Can Trump just pardon himself if he’s elected?
Not in this case. Presidents can only issue pardons for federal crimes, and Trump’s hush-money conviction is for state offenses.
What has Stormy Daniels said about all this?
Daniels has yet to comment on the outcome of the case. However, her husband, Barrett Blade, told CNN she felt vindicated that she told the truth during the trial and now that it’s over, it felt like “a big weight off her shoulders.”
“She was brought into this. This wasn’t her seeking justice for herself. She was standing up for herself early on and saying what was right, but this whole hush-money trial is really nothing,” Blade said. “It’s not her story.”
Are Trump’s legal troubles over now?
Not at all. Trump is still in the midst of three other criminal cases in Florida, Georgia, and Washington, D.C. The former president is facing 40 counts in a case where he’s been accused of keeping classified documents after leaving the White House in 2021; ten counts in a case related to his alleged efforts to reverse the election results in Georgia in 2020; and four counts in a case where he’s been accused of attempting to overturn the 2020 election, culminating in the January 6 attack on the Capitol. The trial dates for each case either have been delayed or haven’t been set yet, though, so it’s unlikely we’ll see another verdict come down before the election in November.
