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Today, the 45th President of the United States woke up as a convicted felon. Yesterday, Donald J Trump sat in a New York City courtroom with his hands crossed, his face stone-like, reflecting a look of defeat as a jury of his peers delivered a historic verdict. Former president Trump is guilty, beyond a reasonable doubt, on all 34 counts of falsifying records to conceal a sex scandal that could have jeopardized his 2016 presidential campaign and election.
Just like Pearl Harbor, 9/11, and January 6th, we will all remember where we were when we heard the news. An American president was humbled to his knees by ordinary citizens who had patiently sat through weeks of testimony presented by some of the greatest attorneys that wealth and power could buy.
Even without Michael Cohen’s testimony, which yielded Trump 11 counts related to Cohen, 11 counts were related to checks, and 12 counts to ledger entries.
Trump’s Hypocrisy: Seeking Sympathy While Denying It to Others
Prior to his guilty verdict in a hallway on the 15th floor of the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, Trump said, “Mother Teresa could not beat these charges,” seemingly grooming the public for sympathy.
The irony is that he showed no sympathy, not even an apology, to the Central Park Five, refusing to apologize after they were exonerated in 2002. He had called for the death penalty’s reinstatement for a crime they did not commit.
Throughout his career, Trump has often advocated for tough-on-crime policies that disproportionately affect communities of color. During his presidency, he frequently suggested that undocumented immigrants should be deported. Many of these immigrants are people of color. He believed they should be deported regardless of their criminal history or lack thereof.
During the ’90s, Trump supported stop-and-frisk policies. He also supported the 1994 crime bill, which led to higher incarceration rates for Black Americans. To be fair, President Joe Biden also supported this legislation. However, he has since admitted that certain aspects of the bill were inadvertently harmful to communities of color. Since coming into office, the Biden-Harris Administration has demonstrated its commitment to criminal justice reform. Nevertheless, Trump continues to profess to be the president of “Law and Order” if elected, which carries racial undertones.
Conviction Doesn’t Bar Trump’s Presidential Bid
The question of whether President Trump is still eligible to continue his quest for the presidency is on the minds of most Americans. The answer to that question is yes. No stipulations in the US Constitution prevent a convicted felon from running for president.
Judge Juan Merchan issued Trump’s sentencing date for Thursday, July 11—four days before the start of the Republican National Convention.
Republican Leaders Denounce Trump’s Convicted Felon Verdict as Politically Motivated
Despite a guilty verdict on all 34 counts, Trump continues to receive wide support from Republican Party leaders.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt called the verdict a “weaponization of our American justice system, plain and simple.” He then adds, “Regardless of who’s in power, this disrespects the Office of the President. This creates chaos & leads to a lack of trust in government. I’m glad Trump will appeal—I hope another judge brings some sense to the matter.”
Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, continued to politicize the judicial decision. “The weaponization of our justice system has been a hallmark of the Biden Administration, and the decision today is further evidence that Democrats will stop at nothing to silence dissent and crush their political opponents,” he said. Nevertheless, Trump had every opportunity to challenge the jurors during jury selection. They challenged only one.
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Democratic Leaders React to Trump’s Conviction: “No One is Above the Law”
Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock simply said, “No one is above the law—including Donald Trump.”
Bennie Thompson, who chaired the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, said Trump’s “verdict confirms what we have always known: Donald Trump is a criminal who thinks nothing of breaking the law or our Constitution to get what he wants. No one, especially an ex-president, is above the law.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, “America is a nation built upon the rule of law. The jury has spoken and carefully rendered a decision. Responsible leadership requires the verdict to be respected.”
The Biden-Harris re-election campaign also chimed in. “Donald Trump has always mistakenly believed he would never face consequences for breaking the law for his own personal gain. But today’s verdict does not change the fact that the American people face a simple reality. There is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box. Convicted felon or not, Trump will be the Republican nominee for president,” Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler said in a statement.
As the nation grapples with the reality of a convicted former president, the message is clear: the law holds everyone accountable, regardless of their status or influence. This historic verdict showcases the strength of American democracy, proving that even the most powerful can face justice. The upcoming election reminds Americans of their power and responsibility to shape the future through their votes. The journey ahead promises to be a pivotal chapter in our history, testing the resilience and integrity of our democratic principles.