Could Trump Run for President if Imprisoned?

In 1920 the world watched as candidates Eugene and Debs fought for the title of President of the United States. Eugene Victor Debs of the Socialist Party was found guilty of violating the Sedition Act during the Great War and was sentenced to 10 year imprisonment. Debs was nominated as his party’s candidate in 1920 despite being behind bars.

From his prison cell in Atlanta, Georgia, Debs campaigned with the help of speakers and messengers acting on his behalf. This was obviously far more difficult, given the technology of the time. Still, Debs won over 1 million votes or 3.4% of the popular vote. His imprisonment became a part of his campaign strategy and he even used his inmate number 9653 on campaign merchandise and flyers to remind the people of the cause he sacrificed his freedom for.

More recently, in 1992, Lyndon LaRouche campaigned from prison where he was serving a fifteen year sentence for conspiracy against the IRS. Like Debs, LaRouche used his inmate number as part of his campaign. He lost the Democratic Party nomination to Bill Clinton but garnered much attention due to his notoriety.

The US Constitution does not prohibit a citizen from seeking election if they are incarcerated or have a felony. Article II, Section 1, states:

"No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty-five years, and been fourteen years a resident within the United States."

The Founding Fathers never addressed the matter. Trump’s team has said that he will seek re-election despite any barrier put before him. However, he will face difficulties. Trump would be unable to travel, attend debates like the one that Biden finally promised to do, or campaign in person. He would need to rely on proxies to carry out his campaigning efforts on his behalf, and given the widespread support, he would find no issue in doing so. The real issue is that the establishment simply cannot risk a Trump presidency, and they will do everything and anything to prevent him from leading America.