Is a convicted felon legally permitted to run for president?
— Asked March 28, 2023, in our election live chat
Answered by Isaac Arnsdorf
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The constitutional qualifications for being president are being a natural-born U.S. citizen, a resident for at least 14 years and over the age of 35. A person can be disqualified by conviction in a Senate impeachment trial, but a criminal conviction does not affect eligibility.
In 1920, Social Party candidate Eugene V. Debs ran for president from prison, but no major-party candidate has ever sought the nation’s highest office while facing criminal charges. The Trump team has not said how it would handle the unprecedented logistical challenges of running a national campaign while the former president is standing trial, possibly in multiple cases. The New York case is likely to collide with the campaign calendar, with the judge sounding open to the Trump legal team’s suggestion of a trial next spring.
