Donald Trump — The First US President To Get Convicted Of A Crime
Trump found guilty by New York jury on hush money case in major milestone for American politics and law. Yet, despite this conviction, Trump is still eligible to run for a second term and has dibs on making 2024 a screamer.
Shares of Trump Media & Technology Group, Donald Trump’s social media company, have plunged following the former US president’s historic conviction in his hush-money trial.
The company’s stock, which trades under the ticker “DJT”, fell as much as 15 percent in extended trading on Thursday after Trump was found guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
Trump Media reported a net loss of $327.6m in the first quarter, and the company’s $9bn market cap is widely seen as being based on the loyalty of Trump’s supporters.
The Charges and Conviction
34 counts of faking business records in a payment to hush adult film star Stormy Daniels; found guilty. All counts netted guilty votes from the jury, and, in theory, each count could carry a penalty of four years at most. Still, Trump is more likely to get probation.
Trump becomes, we think, the 1st POTUS who has committed a felony in its 77 years of age. The verdict – the first of its kind in a country where the president is frequently described as the world’s most powerful figure.
Trump Responds
Trump, meanwhile, is not prevented from running again for office because of a conviction. Trump made no apology and continued to insist the trial was “rigged” and a “disgrace.” He told his followers the ‘real verdict’ would be delivered by the voters at the election. Biden For President issued a statement as well, which, describing no one is above the law, warned a national threat of Trump.
Sentencing and Political Fallout
Judge Juan Merchan scheduled a sentencing date for July 11, days before Trump is likely to be at the top of the Republican ticket for president at the Republican National Convention. The trial has certainly cut into Trump’s campaigning, but he has used the attention to his advantage. Trump’s campaign immediately leveraged the verdict into a fundraising appeal, describing Trump as a “political prisoner.”
Affects Election: The Uncertain Political Calculation of a Trump Conviction
Though that might not move the needle on national voter attitudes, it could change some minds in swing states and have an effect in tight races. A Trump appeal is likely, but the legal process is likely to extend well into the election season.
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Here’s a closer look at some of the most compelling moments and key evidence in the trial that spanned almost five weeks and likely swayed the jury:
The trial, which lasted nearly five weeks, was filled with significant moments and compelling evidence that likely influenced the jury’s decision.
Testimony From Michael Cohen
One of Trump’s former attorneys, Michael Cohen, the star witness, testified against Trump. Cohen, with his history of lying, even about his own criminal conduct, did not exactly have a handgun and a corpse in the conservatory locker, but fortunately for him, his account of Trump’s hush-money scheme was supported by affidavits, tapes, and live witnesses, all of whom were better witnesses than Cohen. Cohen also said Trump promised him reimbursement over the $130,000 payment he made to Stormy Daniels, who claimed an illicit relationship with him.
The trial also illuminated a critical moment for the first time: The 2015 meeting at Trump Tower in which Trump, Cohen and former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker came up with the hush-money scheme. Cohen said is corroborated by Pecker’s testimony, creating a tapestry of a campaign that worked deliberately to keep damaging stories involving Trump quiet.
Access Hollywood Tape
A factor in the trial was the bombshell Access Hollywood tape, in which Trump made vulgar comments about women. Trump 2016 campaigning got increased as well as the stakes for Trump: the hush money payment to Daniels ensued to stop additional campaign damage. The trial evidence showed that Trump Organization executives made handwritten notes outlining the repayment plan to Cohen.
The documents showed how Cohen would be paid in four separate batches of $420,000 for the payment for the silencing of stories in addition to expenses, taxes and a new annual bonus. There was ample proof there of TE coach trying to falsify business records.
Testimony from Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels
The prosecutor’s case was bolstered by testimonies from Karen McDougal (a former Playboy model) and Stormy Daniels. She later testified that she’d been paid $150,000 by AMI to hush up an alleged affair with Trump. But Daniels’ charged testimony about an encounter with Trump in 2006 left the jury feeling like it knew Daniels as a person, which mattered.
More Legal Woes
Besides the hush money case, Trump has federal and state legal exposure for trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election results as well as accusations of stockpiling hidden records as his term ended. But those trials, which involve more serious charges, are not expected to begin until after the presidential election, could add to the complications of Trump’s run for a second term.
Trump was convicted for the second time in US history.
The conviction of Donald Trump for the second time in the history of the United States establishes a discount for those in power. Although he is now embroiled in legal procrastination and might not exist through the election, Trump remains a massive political force. His trial and his conduct his accusers detailed there point to the depth and gravity of the charges against him.
This is just the beginning, and the effects of a Trump conviction will still tear themselves through the political fabric, determining the future of American politics and how the president race will develop in the coming months and years. Only time will tell if this conviction will help or hurt his campaign, but it is without question yet another chapter in the wild trajectory of Donald Trump’s political life.
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