Claim: Texas Constitution bars Trump from running for president
A June 8 Threads post (direct link, archive link) argues that former President Donald Trump's felony convictions will hinder his presidential campaign.
“Because of the Texas Constitution, Trump cannot appear on the Texas ballot,” the caption of X's post read.
“Texas law prohibits anyone who has been convicted of a felony from running for or holding any public office,” the post, which was originally shared on Twitter by X, read.
A post in this thread garnered over 500 likes in four days. Another version of this claim was shared on X.
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Our rating: False
Not only is the text shown in the post not part of the Texas Constitution, but the qualifications for the presidency are determined solely by the U.S. Constitution.
Felony conviction won't bar Trump from running
Trump was convicted on May 31 on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, making him the first former president to be convicted of a crime.
However, the felony conviction does not bar Trump from running for president.
First, the text pictured in the post is not part of the Texas Constitution. It is posted on the website of the U.S. Probation Office for the Western District of Texas. The page is titled “Civil Rights of Persons Convicted of Federal Felony Offenses in Texas.” However, because Trump was convicted under state law, not federal law, the restrictions listed on that page do not apply to him.
Above the highlighted text in the post, the page itself writes a statement contradicting the claim in question: “The United States Constitution does not prohibit felons from holding Federal office.” This text is also visible in the post.
Neither the Texas Constitution nor the U.S. Constitution says anything about how a felony conviction affects one's eligibility to run for public office.
The only qualifications listed in the United States Constitution for presidential candidates are to be a natural-born U.S. citizen, to be at least 35 years old, and to have resided in the United States for at least 14 years.
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Texas election law also references the qualifications outlined in the U.S. Constitution.
It states, “Political parties shall have the right to place on the presidential ballot their candidates for President and Vice President of the United States if the following conditions are met: (1) the candidates are qualified for these offices as provided by Federal law.”
USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post on Threads for comment but did not immediately receive a response. The X user could not be reached.
Lead Stories also denied the allegations.
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