Donald Trump is not the first political candidate to run for office while facing criminal charges, and he will not be the first to win an election after being convicted. While he faces a mountain of legal problems, history suggests that charges can become political assets under the right circumstances.
LONDON – While Donald Trump holds the dubious distinction of being the first former US president to run for office while facing criminal charges, he is not the first political candidate in American history to have been indicted, convicted, or even incarcerated. Trump’s secretary of energy and former Texas Governor Rick Perry, for example, had an abuse-of-power charge pending against him when he briefly sought the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in 2016.
LONDON – While Donald Trump holds the dubious distinction of being the first former US president to run for office while facing criminal charges, he is not the first political candidate in American history to have been indicted, convicted, or even incarcerated. Trump’s secretary of energy and former Texas Governor Rick Perry, for example, had an abuse-of-power charge pending against him when he briefly sought the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in 2016.