Both US Presidential Hopefuls Showing Signs Of Weakness

America’s economy and society are strong, but there are discrepancies regarding the functioning of the country’s democracy. The voters have to choose between a presidential candidate who is fighting to cover up his wrongdoings and another who shows other weaknesses. Journalists are making lists of the many court cases in which Donald Trump is the defendant, while American society could produce scores of impeccable candidates. It looks as if the voters are looking for the least-qualified candidate.

One court case was initiated when the adult film star Stormy Daniels was paid $130,000 hush money by former President Trump. According to US laws, paying hush money is not a punishable act. However, Trump hid this money as administrative costs.

Although he could be jailed for up to four years, the judge may punish Trump with a short prison sentence. He may also put Trump in jail during the week and on parole at weekends. House arrest is another alternative. In this case, he would have to wear an ankle monitor. If his punishment exceeds one year, he would have to serve his sentence in a federal jail.

There is no restrictive measure to prevent Trump from continuing with his candidacy for the presidency. The conditions are limited to being over 35 years of age, being a natural born citizen and having resided in the US for at least 14 years. This means that Trump may become president while he is serving his jail sentence.

Whether Trump will be able to vote in his home state of Florida depends on several scenarios. If Trump is in jail on Nov. 5, he will not be able to vote. However, he would be able to do so if the Republican governor of Florida authorized it.

This scenario leads us to uncertainty because nothing similar has occurred in the past. Therefore, there is no precedent. If Trump is put in jail and wins the election, his lawyers may ask for the sentence to be canceled so that a sitting president is not behind bars.

Briefly, Trump’s presidency seems to be the most likely scenario.

Despite being found guilty on 34 counts last month, Trump was able to divide the American electorate as much as he could and it appears that his supporters remain strong.

While Democrats celebrated the verdicts, the Republicans are doing everything they can to weaponize justice. The court’s sentencing verdict will be disclosed on July 11.

Meanwhile, an intervention by the Trump team in the court case relating to the attack on the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, was very important. It could have had a much bigger effect if this case was handled before the election. But Trump’s lawyers have been able to delay the case.

There are Trump supporters who consider his gang to be a lawless one, while there are others who do not care whether he will be brought to justice. In a law-abiding country, a former president being punished would shock society. In the divided society of the US, where anger and fear prevail, people do not care exactly what is taking place around them. Other leaders around the world applaud people like Trump, Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu. Daniels advised Trump’s wife, Melania, to leave him, “not because of what he did with me or other women but because he is a convicted felon.”

New data shows that legal fees are costing Trump millions. His political operation spent more than $4 million on legal-related expenses in March alone.

The Republican and Democratic programs have become a subsidiary issue in the election campaign because few people will make their decision on who to vote for based on them.

On the other side of the equation is 81-year-old Joe Biden. If reelected, how is he going to cope with being the leader of the free world?

Biden’s future, despite the big legislative packages passed early in his presidential term, is not promising. Last week, he was rallying allies in support of Ukraine against the Russian invasion.

As if this was not enough, President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, is on trial accused of having lied on an application form to purchase a gun while he was addicted to a stimulant narcotic drug. This creates the impression that many things are rotten in American society.

Whoever wins between Trump and Biden, can the free world really be led by someone who has so many shortcomings?

• Yasar Yakis is a former foreign minister of Turkiye and founding member of the ruling AK Party. X: @yakis_yasar