What does his guilty verdict mean for our country?

Sign up

You’re reading the Prompt 2024 newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox.

Donald Trump is now a convicted felon running for president, having been found guilty on all 34 counts in his hush money trial. If President Biden can’t beat that résumé, we’ll be out of questions.

I asked my Post Opinions colleagues Jason Willick and E.J. Dionne Jr. to help make sense of this moment: What does this mean for Trump — and the country?

Alexi McCammond: It’s not unlikely that a convicted felon could be our next president. Are you worried about whether this will harm our foreign relations and anticorruption efforts with other countries? How will we have a leg to stand on?

Jason Willick: On the contrary, Alexi, I think the fact that this politicized trial took place harms our world standing. It hurts our image of having a free and open political system when opposition candidates are subject to unfair prosecutions. So no, I don’t think it affects Trump’s presidency if he’s elected.

E.J. Dionne Jr.: I disagree, Jason. Many small-d democratic nations — including France, Israel, Taiwan, Germany and Portugal — have held leaders to legal account. What would be wrong was letting a president off the hook simply because he........

© Washington Post