Midlothian, Texas, U.S.A. – In New York today, a jury found former U.S. President Donald Trump guilty of all 34 charges he was facing for falsifying business records.
The charges, filed against Trump in April, were for covered up business dealings that were supposed to conceal Trump’s 2006 affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels.
By hiding his sexual encounter with Daniels, Trump was trying to prevent a scandal right before the 2016 election.
While this is the lesser of all four criminal proceedings that former President Trump is involved in, it still stands as an important step in holding him accountable for possible past criminal offenses.
It’s also a shining example of the rich and powerful not being exempt from being accountable in a court of law, the same as common people are.
If he actually faces any consequences for the conviction remains to be seen, but this proves that popular and polarizing figures can still be touched by the law, even if it does not always feel like it.
On a more concerning note, this also strikes me as one more example of the two main 2024 election candidates taking actions that actively call into question their ability to be trusted with the country’s best interests.
The amount of power that a president holds and the trust that they must maintain with the American people to maintain that power successfully is immense, but situations like this one cast serious doubt onto whether or not Trump along with his fellow candidates can be depended upon.
And yet, they continue to keep happening.
I have seen and heard about many scandals, mishaps, and instances of misconduct from Trump but this has to be the biggest and clearest with enough solid evidence for it to be confirmed in a court of law.
But that does not change that he will remain on the ballot and will receive votes from the people who deem him the best for the job.
This is a win for class equity, but also another alarming reminder of the reality of what democracy in the United States is steadily becoming.
McGlauthon Fleming IV is a Junior Reporter with Youth Journalism International.
