Can Donald Trump run for president? What's next after the guilty verdict – NBC Chicago

Former President Donald Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts in his hush money criminal trial – so what happens now?

This is the first time a former US president has been tried or convicted in a criminal case, and it is the first of four Trump indictments to go to trial.

But does a guilty verdict mean he can no longer run for president? And the vote? And when will he learn his sentence?

Here's what you need to know:

What was Trump convicted of?

Prosecutors accused Trump of falsifying internal business records to conceal hush money payments linked to an alleged scheme to bury stories that could have torpedoed his 2016 White House bid.

At the heart of the accusations were reimbursements made to former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen for a secret $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels in exchange for not going public with his claim regarding a sexual relationship with Trump in 2006.

Prosecutors said the reimbursements were falsely recorded as “legal fees” to hide the true nature of the transactions.

The charges against Trump carry a sentence of up to four years in prison. He has denied any wrongdoing and has pleaded not guilty.

When will Trump be sentenced and how much time could he face?

Judge Juan Merchan, who oversaw the case, set sentencing for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

The falsifying business records charges carry up to four years in prison, although prosecutors have not indicated whether they intend to seek prison time, and it is unclear whether Judge – who earlier in the trial had warned of a prison sentence for violating the silence order – would impose that punishment even if asked.

What is happening now?

Trump is expected to quickly appeal the verdict and will face a tricky dynamic as he seeks to return to the campaign trail after being found guilty. There are no campaign rallies on the calendar at the moment, but he is expected to hold fundraisers next week.

Can Trump still run for president?

The answer is simply yes.

A convicted or imprisoned felon can not only campaign for the presidency and other federal offices, but also be elected.

The U.S. Constitution does not explicitly prohibit a presidential candidate from running for office while under indictment, or even while serving time behind bars.

Eligibility requirements for presidents only stipulate that they must be at least 35 years old, a natural-born citizen of the United States, and a resident of the country for at least 14 years.

So a criminal record, an orange jumpsuit, and being on the wrong side of bars won't necessarily prevent someone from becoming president. It is the voters who have the power to do this.

And the vote?

Donald Trump may have been convicted of a crime and resides in Florida, a state known for restricting felons' voting rights, but he can still vote as long as he stays out of prison in New York state .

That's because Florida defers to other states' disenfranchisement rules for residents convicted of out-of-state crimes. In Trump's case, New York law only strips them of their right to vote when they are incarcerated. Once they are released from prison, their rights are automatically restored, even if they are on parole, according to a 2021 law passed by the state's Democratic legislature.

“If a Floridian's voting rights are restored in the convicting state, they are restored under Florida law,” wrote Blair Bowie of the Campaign Legal Center in an article explaining the state of the law, noting that people without Trump's legal resources are often confused. Florida's complex rules.

In Illinois, the rules are different.

In Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, “you only lose your right to vote if you are currently incarcerated for a criminal conviction (misdemeanor or felony),” according to the Department of Justice.

“If you have lost your right to vote due to a conviction, you can register to vote immediately upon your release. Pretrial detention, probation and parole do not restrict your right to vote,” states the government.

What was the reaction?

After the verdict, Trump said: “The real verdict will be on November 5th, delivered by the people. They know what happened here, everyone knows what happened here. … I'm a very innocent.”

President Joe Biden's campaign has sought to remain focused on the November election, even as it said Thursday that former President Donald Trump's criminal conviction shows that “no one is above the law.”

In Illinois, Gov. JB Pritzker said “justice has been served.”

“After facing a jury of his peers, Donald Trump was exposed as a liar and a fraud. Trump evaded the law to deceive voters and today the law caught up with him,” Pritzker said.

Meanwhile, the Illinois Republican Party called it “political pursuits such as exist in banana republics, but not before in these United States.”