Donald Trump case will have “super-implications” for US politics, says historian
Trump will be sentenced on 11 July. The ex-president could face prison, but legal experts say a fine is the more likely outcome
Akwasi Osei, chair of the Department of History, Political Science and Philosophy and director of the global societies programme at Delaware State University, has said the conviction of the former US president Donald Trump will have “super-implications” for US politics.
Donald Trump has been convicted on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in his historic criminal trial in New York.
It is the first time a former or serving US president has been convicted of a crime. He will be sentenced on 11 July. The ex-president could face prison, but legal experts say a fine is the more likely outcome.
Trump calls the verdict a “disgrace” and has attacked Judge Juan Manuel Merchan, who presided over the case. The verdict comes as he campaigns to defeat Joe Biden in this November’s presidential election and return to the White House.
The court heard from 22 witnesses over six weeks, including Stormy Daniels, whose alleged sexual encounter with Trump was at the centre of this case.
Speaking to Benjamin Offei-Addo on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Friday (31 May), Dr Osei said Donald Trump may be sentenced to house arrest or probation as a first-time convict.
“The judge, Merchan, might sentence him as a first-time offender to house arrest or even probation, but either way something is going to happen.
“And it is this that has given America a headache. And it is a headache, because now you have the leader of one of two major political parties who has been convicted,” Dr Osei said.
“And can a convicted felon run for president? Number one: forget the legality of that the political implications of that are super.
“He is going to go through between now and November as a convicted felon who’s running for president. The biggest people who are facing this headache [are] the Republican Party. How are they going to stand behind Mr Trump?
“As you know, up till now, nobody has been able to challenge him in that party. He is unquestionably the leader of that party and everyone has stood behind him,” Dr Osei said.
Listen to Dr Osei in the audio clip attached below:
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