Should we allow a former president who has been indicted in four criminal cases to run for reelection? For the first 234 years of this country’s history, no American president or former president had ever been indicted. However, former President Donald Trump faces four felony charges in Washington, D.C. for threatening to overturn the 2020 election, 13 felony counts in Georgia for election interference, 34 felony counts in New York for the hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, and 40 felony counts in Florida for stockpiling classified documents after he left office and attempting to prevent the government from retrieving them.
Three years ago on January 6th, Trump incited a mob of his rabid supporters to storm the White House. This led to police officers being attacked, as well as forcing Congress members from their legislative seats. Former President Donald Trump was uncooperative and unprofessional, unwilling to peacefully transition power to President Joe Biden after the 2020 election.
While there is no federal law that convicted felons cannot run for office, there should be. Currently, the only constitutional requirements to run for president consist of being a natural-born citizen, being at least 35 years of age, and being a resident of the United States for at least 14 years. The idea that a convicted felon could lead our country is deeply harrowing and could lead to a gross misuse of power.
The stain that Donald Trump has left on The United States is indisputable, and we cannot allow someone with such shady, criminal behavior to be reelected. This is not what America stands for. We need a law-abiding president; this should be the bare minimum for the leader of our nation. While I believe in second chances and innocence until proven guilty, Donald Trump has proven time and time again that he is not fit to run for reelection. The publicly available evidence is overwhelming and concrete — and that is only what has been released to the public.
Earlier today, an Illinois judge ordered Donald Trump to be taken off the primary ballot. This closely follows decisions of ineligibility from Colorado and Maine. This is a great start, and we will likely see other states’ judiciaries do the same.
If Trump gets away with his crimes and continues to abuse the slowness of the legal system to regain presidential power, this sets a dangerous precedent for the nation. The American people deserve a respectable, strong, dedicated, selfless president to lead our nation, all qualities that Donald Trump has proven himself not to have.
