Trump's future clouded by conviction: Key challenges ahead

Time magazine reported that new restrictions will be placed on the former president and he will likely see several of his privileges impacted by his status as a criminal. Let’s look at a few of the major problems that Trump is about to face. 

One of the most underreported issues the former president is going to need to navigate now that he is a convicted felon is his ineligibility to own a firearm both under state and federal law. The problem is more complex than you know. 

Time reported New York state and federal law prohibit an individual convicted of a crime from possessing firearms, which means that the former president will need to hand over any guns that he still has in his possession before his sentencing.

However, it is unclear if Trump still possesses any firearms. Prior interviews with Trump indicated that he had a concealed carry permit in New York and owned two guns, one a Heckler & Koch HK45 and the other a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson. 

Photo Credit: By Ckindel, Own Work, CC BY-SA 3.0

According to Business Insider, Trump said in a 2016 interview with the French magazine Valeurs Actuelles that he always carried a gun and CNN recently reported Trump owns a third firearm that was transferred to Florida after his conviction. 

Two of the three pistols on Trump’s license in New York were turned over to authorities in the state on March 31st, 2023 but the third firearm was lawfully moved to Florida. If Trump still has it he could be in violation of several state and federal laws.

According to CNN, Trump had his concealed carry firearms license suspended after he was indicted by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and it is likely that he will have it fully revoked based on a statement from the NYPD. 

Time magazine also pointed out that the former president would have to meet with a probation officer or a psychologist so that a pre-sentencing report could be compiled to help Judge Juan Merchan decide on the appropriate punishment for Trump's crimes.

The former president can “try to make a good impression and explain why he or she deserves a lighter punishment,” according to the New York State Unified Court System, Time reported, and it would be interesting to see how such a meeting will go. 

Trump’s ineligibility to vote has been a topic hotly debated in the media now that he has been convicted but Time magazine noted that felons in the United States do not automatically lose their right to vote since different states have different policies. 

It's important to note that Trump will be eligible to run for President of the United States. Forbes reported, along with several other news outlets, that the U.S. Constitution only requires a candidate for president to be 35 years of age and a natural-born citizen who has lived in the country for at least fourteen years. 

If incarcerated the former president wouldn’t be able to cast a vote for himself but if he remains free he could end up voting in Florida since he has lived and voted in the state since 2020 and Florida defers to the laws of the state where the conviction occurred. 

In Trump’s situation, New York only revokes a felon’s ability to vote when incarcerated so as long as Trump isn’t behind bars, he will be able to vote in the 2024 Presidential Election. But things get a little complicated if he wins. 

Traveling internationally could be problematic for Trump now that he is a convicted felon since thirty-seven countries do not allow convicted criminals to enter their borders according to several news organizations. 

“Some governments could choose to waive the travel ban if Trump requested permission to make a visit, but it’s currently unclear which countries would be willing to do so,” Time magazine’s Nik Popli explained. However, Trump will get to keep his passport. 

There are likely many more problems the former president will face both in his public and private life now that he is a convicted felon. This review may have only scratched the surface of the major and minor issue Trump will need to navigate as a convicted criminal. 

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