On Thursday, May 30, former president Donald Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts after the public had been patiently waiting for the outcome of his trial. 

Trump’s hush-money trial initiated when two women stated that they had affairs with Trump and were paid large amounts of money before the 2016 election. The former president was accused of falsifying business records to hide a crime related to his 2016 campaign; however, the second crime is not named in the statement of facts. For this crime, the maximum time Trump could face would be four years in prison.

Now that Trump has been convicted, it is evident that he is not the right fit for president. However, the most bizarre part is that just because Trump could end up behind bars does not mean he cannot be elected. According to The New York Times, The Constitution does not prohibit anybody criminally convicted from being elected even if they go to prison.  

Based on the controversy and hostile popularity surrounding this case, it is easy to estimate where the 2024 election is headed. The public is not going to be eager to vote for somebody who has a likelihood of going to prison–it is extremely unappealing.

Not only will people be repulsive in voting for Trump based on his recent situation, but he has spent more time in court than time campaigning, and this is a major factor in gaining public votes. If he is not campaigning it is hard to look at the positive traits of Trump’s campaign, and instead only focus on the dispute of his case. Realistically, it’s hard to think of anything else when you hear Trump’s name.

However, some may take an opposing view when looking at the case. Since the case is not as serious as it could be, Trump supporters may defend Trump and will have his vote locked in. Even if some are not already Trump supporters, their opinions could be swayed because they may look at the case as unfair. 

Some people feel that the trial is an attempt to dig up dirt on Trump prior to the election. Some use the fact that previous presidents have done similar deeds and avoided prison time or severe trouble as a defense for Trump. For instance, Bill Clinton was not arrested for his false testimony in a sexual harassment court case in 1999, although he was fined for contempt of court. However, this case involves many wrongdoings of Trump—it is not just one small mistake of attempting to gain votes in an election as he hid destructive and illegal information from the public while also having issues with the two women who he had affairs with. While it may not be a major case, it is proven that he has broken the law, which means he must face the consequences. 

It is obvious now that Trump is going to seek appeal from the public. While it is thought to be seemingly challenging, everyone knows the loud and massive support Trump receives. While most may think Biden is the apparent choice now, he has lost a majority of his young audience and is going to have to try to redeem their support. 

Whereas some may think the reason for Trump’s conviction is insignificant and not as severe as prior trials, the situation generally consists of Trump committing crimes to gain political popularity and showing classified documents to people who were not supposed to see them. Overall, Trump’s trial isn’t as simple as people think. There is a lot of pessimism towards his name, and this is only going to cause a rapid decline in his election votes.