Donald Trump, the frontrunner in the Republican primary and a potential opponent to Joe Biden in a possible 2024 election, is facing a dual criminal threat. He is currently confronted with a staggering 37 criminal charges, including allegations of obstruction of justice and illegal withholding of national security information related to the White House archives.

Despite pleading not guilty in the federal court of Miami this week, Trump’s legal team might seek to delay the trial as much as possible. This strategy aims to allow him, in the event of a victorious presidential election in November 2024, to order the U.S. Department of Justice to drop the charges against him.

Could Donald Trump become president if sentenced to prison?

However, these accusations are not the only threats hovering over Donald Trump. The investigation into his involvement in the Capitol assault is ongoing, and his appearance in a New York court is scheduled for March 2024 due to false accounting statements made in the Stormy Daniels scandal.

Furthermore, a judicial inquiry in Georgia could soon reach a conclusion regarding the alleged pressures exerted by Donald Trump on local officials during the last presidential elections.

Could Donald Trump become president if sentenced to prison?

In theory, if Trump were convicted before November 2024 or assuming a hypothetical new executive role as President, he would still have the power to grant himself a pardon due to existing constitutional gaps, even with a sentence pronounced. However, such a scenario could plunge the United States into an unprecedented democratic crisis in the modern era.

It is important to note that the U.S. President has no authority over the justice systems of individual states, which means that if Trump were convicted in New York or Georgia, he would be required to serve his sentence. This outcome would be a true disaster for American democracy.