Trump was ‘overwhelmed’
The 76-year-old former White House chief made history on Thursday when a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict him in a massive fraud case. It made him the first former US president to face criminal charges. Trump attorney Joe Takopina said the former head of state, who is seeking a second term in the White House in 2024, will face 34 counts of business fraud. According The New York Post Trump has filed no signs that the indictment, which Tacopina said “shocked” his famous client, has shaken his resolve to reclaim his top job.“If he ends up in prison in the next presidential election, the fact that he is behind bars will not prevent him from running,” said Michael Gerhardt, professor of constitutional law at the University Law School. University of North Carolina.There are at least two historical precedents on which Trump can rely. In 1920, socialist candidate Eugene Debs ran for president after serving a 10-year sentence for sedition in a federal prison in Georgia. Debs was convicted under the Sedition Act of 1918, later repealed, for opposing United States involvement in World War I. Despite Debs being imprisoned, he received approximately one million votes in the election, which at the time was 3.5% of their total. His sentence was overturned by President Warren Harding in December 1921.In 1992, far-right activist Lyndon LaRouche ran for president after serving time for mail fraud.
The oath can be taken in a prison cell
For Trump, actively campaigning behind bars can be difficult given his penchant for large-scale rallies. Barbara McQuaid, a University of Michigan law professor and former U.S. attorney, told Insider the ex-president would be bound by rules limiting his ability to appear in person at events, requiring him to s rely on MPs and campaign aides.
If Trump fails to hold rallies, his Republican rivals, led by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, could take advantage of the situation to steal donor money and the former president’s support. But even if Trump were to win the election while incarcerated, he would have to overcome many hurdles to effectively lead a country of 332 million people from a prison cell.The first step – taking the oath – will be easy, as nothing in the constitution requires the president to be sworn in at a particular location.Lawrence Tribe, a Harvard constitutional law professor, said Trump would likely be able to handle the day-to-day business of the presidency, such as issuing executive orders and pardons, signing and vetoing bills and the appointment of politicians to office while incarcerated. . . He can even deliver a State of the Union message to Congress remotely or in writing, as presidents did for a hundred years in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
What will happen to the nuclear suitcase?
But a key question remains: what will happen to the so-called “nuclear briefcase” if the commander-in-chief ends up in prison? The Warhead Code Wallet should always be within reach of the President.Tribe speculated that a military aide might be needed to carry the “nuclear suitcase” to the room adjacent to Trump’s cell. Like all living and former presidents, Trump is still protected by Secret Service agents, and that won’t change if he’s sent to prison unless Congress rewrites the rules.A former employee of the service told Insider that the agent is unlikely to share a camera with Trump, but will be present at the scene to ensure his safety.
The flow of funds to the Trump campaign fund has increased
Because Trump faces state, not federal, charges, he is powerless to try to secure a presidential pardon or pressure the federal prison department to improve his conditions.
In addition to the Stormy Daniels case in New York, Trump faces investigations into his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results and the mishandling of classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago. Trump denies any wrongdoing and dismisses various investigations into his activities as a “witch hunt”. According to his lawyer, “he is ready to fight”. Trump is expected to surrender to authorities in New York and stand trial in Manhattan next Tuesday.Donald Trump raised more than $4 million in 24 hours after the Manhattan indictment was revealed, according to figures released Friday by his campaign. The Trump campaign said more than 25% of the funds came from early U.S. donors to the former president, “further cementing President Trump’s status as the undisputed leader in the Republican primaries.”Trump supporters emailed multiple fundraising requests in less than 24 hours after his indictment, and he himself also called for donations on his Truth Social platform. A spokesperson for his campaign also told NBC News that 16,000 volunteers have signed up to help Trump over the past day.
