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Analysis | Could Donald Trump win the US presidency from prison?
- Legally, former US president Donald Trump’s multiple indictments would not automatically stop him from running again
- But if he won a second term from prison, it would be so unprecedented that experts are not sure what would happen
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Donald Trump meets the constitutional requirements to become president – he’s a natural born US citizen over age 35 who’s been living in the country for at least 14 years.
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Legally, his multiple indictments, including federal charges related to classified documents that could lead to prison time, would not stop him.
Trump could run for president from behind bars, and it has been done before.
Eugene Debs made his fifth run for president as the Socialist Party nominee in 1920 while serving a 10-year sentence for encouraging resistance to World War I.
“It is perfectly legal to run for president if you’re under indictment, if you’re on trial, even if you’re in prison. Nothing bars you from doing that,” said Chris Edelson, a government professor at American University who specialises in presidential power under the Constitution.
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