On May 30, 2024, former President Donald Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in order to conceal hush money payments paid to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election. For the first time in our nation’s history, justice has been served to someone who once held the most powerful position in the world reaffirming the uniquely democratic principle that no one is above the law. While the trial and conviction are unprecedented, the American public should not be surprised. After all, Trump has tangled with the legal system for decades.
Before his presidency, Trump settled racial discrimination, defamation and fraud lawsuits, compensating victims of his cruel business practices and scams. After he left office, Trump was found civilly liable for sexual abuse, defamation and bank fraud. Now, the presumptive Republican nominee is a convicted felon and awaits three other criminal trials.
While Trump’s guilty verdict may have seemed like a long time coming, the historic nature of this event cannot be trivialized. Voters must choose not to ignore the reality of voting for a convicted felon and normalize these appalling actions.
Unfortunately, if Trump succeeded in anything during his 2016 campaign and subsequent presidency, it was destroying America’s democratic norms and fooling millions into tolerating his unconscionable behavior. Such conduct would have been considered scandalous just 10 years ago and would have rightly eliminated a candidate’s political career. Our democratic norms — those upheld not by written law, but rather supported by the trust granted by the public — were intended to defend the integrity and responsibility the Oval Office represents. However, Americans have witnessed some of our revered safeguards failing to prevent the misconduct of Trump and his Republican allies, leading to the normalization of democracy-threatening behavior.
And so, to some extent, the guilty verdict and other legal troubles will be overlooked when voters head to the polls this November. For Americans who have forgotten life before Trump, his conviction is just a continuation of our bizarre and ludicrous political climate. Yet, the minimization of this moment in history could lead the U.S. toward a path of authoritarianism, where the rule of law is neglected and those in power face no real consequences. So, while justice may have been served, America must not turn a blind eye.
While the conviction of a former president is new to the U.S., other democratic nations have held their elected officials legally accountable for decades. Former leaders of France, South Korea and Italy have been tried and convicted on charges ranging from tax fraud to corruption. A notable difference between these circumstances and Trump’s is that other criminally convicted world leaders did not maintain power or return as serious political contenders.
A vital component of any thriving democracy is the ability to maintain the judiciary’s control over the legal system. As Republicans continue to attack Trump’s trial, judge and jury at his behest, they contribute to the degradation of America’s judicial integrity. As I have written before, the erosion of faith in the courts is often the first domino to fall as a country heads toward autocracy.
Nevertheless, the former president and his supporters view their outrage toward the judicial system as justified. They believe President Joe Biden and other Democratic officials are orchestrating Trump’s legal woes in an attempt to harm him politically. Namely, conservatives are quick to accuse the Department of Justice of vengefully targeting Republican politicians while simultaneously ignoring crimes committed by Democrats.
These claims are baseless and only fuel the disinformation campaign Trump’s political career is built on. In fact, the DOJ is currently amid other important prosecutions, including cases against Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, who was recently convicted on all charges in one case pertaining to his illegal purchase of a gun. The guilty verdict was reached by a jury chosen in the blue state of Delaware, where President Biden served as a senator. The president has continuously vowed to respect the outcome of his son’s trial and says he will not pardon him. In contrast, Trump and his allies have discussed novel legal avenues he can exploit to pardon himself if re-elected.
Two Democratic senators are also facing upcoming criminal trials, dismissing any valid perception of political bias in the justice system. Furthermore, Trump’s guilty verdict in his state criminal trial was delivered by a jury of 12 ordinary Americans vetted, in part, by Trump’s legal team. The jurors took their responsibilities seriously as they listened to both sides, weighed weeks of testimony and reviewed countless documents. The notion that any court is politically motivated or corrupt is nothing more than a coping mechanism embraced by the American right.
The fairness of these legal proceedings underscores the gravity of the verdict. If a convicted felon (who may not even be able to vote for himself) is allowed to return to the White House, yet another norm will be shattered. Trump is a far greater threat to our democratic republic than ever before. This November, Americans must not overlook his guilty verdict or past legal misconduct. His re-election would mark a regrettable decline of American values and an apathetic attitude toward our founding ideals. In order to strengthen American democracy and preserve the rule of law, Trump must be defeated. This would signal an end to the political chaos and reinforce what remains of our democratic guardrails.
Zach Ajluni is an Opinion Columnist who writes about American politics and current events for The Michigan Daily. He can be reached at zajluni@umich.edu.
The post Conviction and chaos: Why America cannot elect a felon appeared first on The Michigan Daily.
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