ROANOKE, Va. – Former President Donald Trump is making history as the first American president convicted of a crime.
He was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a hush-money scheme that silenced a porn star, in effect interfering with the 2016 election.
Now, there are a lot of questions about what it means for Decision 2024.
John Fishwick is the former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia and has been following Trump’s case closely. He said only time is going to tell what impact the verdict will have on voters.
All eyes are on the punishment the former president could face.
“I think it’s highly unlikely he goes to prison,” Fishwick said. “Then you’ve got the practical considerations of you know the secret service going with him, where would he go.”
Fishwick said the conviction may not change as much as you think for Trump.
“You can run for president,” Fishwick said. “You can be president, in fact, he can vote for himself.”
But will the conviction impact how people vote? 10 News found many people were reluctant to answer.
“I have friends that stand solidly on both sides,” one person said. “I’m just not comfortable discussing it.”
“It’s just such a mess,” another said. “I’d rather just move on with my life and not even think about it.”
However, some people did weigh in.
“I’m still going to vote for him even though he’s the lesser of two evils I think,” one person said.
“Do I think he should run as a convicted felon? Probably not,” another said.
The former president will be sentenced in July, but Fishwick thinks the appeals process could take years.