Both U.S. presidential candidates show signs of weakness
The American economy and society are strong, but there is a contradiction regarding the functioning of the country's democracy. Voters must choose between a presidential candidate who struggles to hide fraud and one who shows other weaknesses. Journalists have compiled a list of the many cases in which Donald Trump is a defendant, but American society can produce any number of flawless candidates. Voters seem to be looking for the least qualified candidates.
Porn actress Stormy Daniels has filed a lawsuit over the $130,000 hush money she received from former President Trump. Under U.S. law, hush money is not a punishable offense, but Trump hid the money as administrative expenses.
The maximum sentence is four years, but the judge could give Trump a shorter prison term. He could also be held in jail during the week and released on parole on weekends. House arrest is also an option, which would require Trump to wear an ankle monitor. If the sentence exceeds a year, he must serve it in federal prison.
There are no restrictions preventing Trump from continuing to run for president – he must be over 35, a native-born US citizen and have lived in the US for at least 14 years – meaning he could become president while serving his sentence.
Whether Trump can vote in his home state of Florida depends on a few scenarios. If Trump is in prison on November 5, he won't be able to vote, but he could be allowed to do so if Florida's Republican governor allows it.
This scenario creates uncertainty because no similar event has occurred in the past, and therefore is unprecedented. If Trump goes to jail and wins the election, his lawyers could seek to have the sentence overturned so that a sitting president does not have to spend time in jail.
Simply put, a Trump presidency seems the most likely scenario.
Despite being found guilty of 34 charges last month, Trump has succeeded in dividing the American electorate as much as possible and his supporters appear to remain strong.
While Democrats are celebrating the ruling, Republicans are doing everything they can to weaponize justice. The court's decision will be made public on July 11.
In America's divided society, where anger and fear are rampant, people are less concerned about what's going on around them.
Yasar Yakis
On the other hand, the Trump campaign's involvement in the trial over the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol in Washington was crucial. It might have had a greater impact if the trial had been handled before the election, but the Trump campaign's lawyers managed to delay the trial.
Some Trump supporters see Trump's gang as outlaws, while others don't care if Trump faces justice. In a law-abiding country, it would be a shock to society to see a former president punished. In a divided American society where anger and fear are rampant, people don't care what's going on around them. World leaders praise people like Trump, Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu. Daniels advised Trump's wife Melania to break up with Trump, “not because of what he did to me or other women, but because he's a convicted felon.”
New data shows that Trump is spending millions on legal fees, with his political campaign spending more than $4 million on litigation-related expenses in March alone.
Republican and Democratic policies have become secondary issues in election campaigns because few people decide who to vote for based on them.
On the other side we have Joe Biden, 81. If re-elected, how will he fare as leader of the free world?
Biden's future does not look bright despite some big legislative wins early in his presidency, and last week he rallied allies to help Ukraine against Russian aggression.
Furthermore, President Biden's son, Hunter Biden, is on trial for lying on an application to buy a gun while he was high on stimulants, giving the impression that there is a lot of corruption lurking in American society.
Whether Trump or Biden wins, can a man with so many flaws lead the free world?
- Yasar Yakis is a former Turkish foreign minister and founding member of the ruling Justice and Development Party. X: @yakis_yasar
Disclaimer: The views expressed by the authors in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Arab News.
