Legal exerts in the U.S. believe that former President Trump could run for president from prison. Two previous candidates, Eugene V. Debs in 1920, and Lyndon LaRouche in 1992, both unsuccessfully ran from prison. Experts note that there’s nothing in the Constitution preventing him from doing so. Much will be determined by the outcome of a trial over Donald Trump’s indictment by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office which investigated Trump’s personal and business finances, including a payment by Michael Cohen, Trump’s formal personal lawyer. The payment was made to adult-film star Stormy Daniels days before the 2016 election. One major drawback is, if convicted, Trump would be subject to the same rules as other prisoners, which could definitely restrict his communications and ability to appear at events. Furthermore, he would need to rely on proxies to campaign for him. This of course removes Trump from the hustings which has proven to be his greatest strength on the campaign trail, especially among his followers.
Whether or not Trump is found guilty, the situation leaves the Republicans in a major bind, especially during their primaries to select their next candidate to run for president. Trump’s core is still evidently strong and could mount a serious protest against the choice of any other Republican candidate. In light of this, there is also nothing to stop Trump from declaring himself an independent candidate for president. This in turn would most likely split the conservative support in the next election, much to the benefit of the Democrats and the incumbent president.
What’s interesting is such a situation could not occur in Canada as the Prime Minister (PM) is the leader of the party which gets the most seats in Parliament. Unlike the American president, one does not vote directly for the PM, but votes for candidates of a political party within their electoral riding. The party leader is selected through a party’s leadership convention, although in the case of an incumbent PM, his leadership is usually automatic unless contested within the party. A PM typically sits as a member of Parliament (MP). Once a party achieves the majority of seats in the House of Commons, the leader can then form the government and he or she is designated by the Governor General to fulfill the role of PM. Thus, he or she could never run for leader of a party and in turn PM from prison.
Since the indictment of former President Trump is the first of its kind in American history, there are a few unknowns as to how everything will unfold. One must also remember that Trump is still under investigation for other things, including other ongoing investigations related to his role in the Capitol riot, an alleged scheme to overturn election results in Georgia, and his handling of government records. What’s interesting is that the indictment and these investigations have not really damaged Trump’s popularity among conservatives. A very recent poll taken post-indictment indicates that Trump’s lead over Ron DeSantis in the 2024 GOP presidential primary surged to a 26-point. In the poll, 57% of those asked said they would vote for Trump, while 31% indicated that they would back DeSantis. This whole scenario represents a very real problem for the Republican Party, despite their outcries over Trump’s indictment.
Only in America you say! America’s democratic institutions have been under attack for some time now from the far-right. This entire predicament simply adds to the turmoil. It is obvious that the authorities have to handle the whole episode with diplomacy and silk gloves. In the end, whatever the eventual outcome of this indictment and ongoing investigations, the whole affair could become a political circus. Certainly, no one, including a former president, is above the law. Donald Trump is no exception. The best thing that could happen is for Trump to withdraw his candidacy to be the Republican presidential candidate. However, I strongly believe, knowing Trump, that this will never happen!
FROLITICKS 
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