Former US President Donald Trump has said that his conviction on charges brought against him by a Manhattan jury will not prevent him from running in the 2024 presidential election, except if he is found guilty of sedition and disobedience, in relation to the dossier of his supporters, storming the Capitol building, 77-year-old Trump is an exception, as there has been a similar precedent in American history with the nomination of a “prisoner” for the presidency.
The socialist Eugene Victor Debs (1855-1926) defied all previous setbacks and ran for president in 1920 while behind bars on charges of incitement.
However, he later lost that bet despite receiving 913,693 votes.
Notably, Debs, who entered the labor market at the age of 14 on the railroad, later became a major player in the creation of the railroad union.
He also served as Clerk of Terre Haute (1879–1883) and was a member of the Indiana State Legislature (1885).
The Socialist Party nominated him for the presidency of the country in 1904, 1908 and 1912, as well as in 1920.
But although he received more and more votes each time, he did not receive a single vote in the Electoral College.
As for the clearest photograph of his arrest as a prisoner, it is held by the US National Archives and Records Administration, which identifies him as an American labor union leader and founding member of the Industrial Workers of the World.
It also indicates that he played a key role in the founding of the American Railroad Association, one of the first industrial associations in the country.
So despite the huge difference in history between the two people (one socialist and one republican), the door of hope is still open for Trump to make it to the Oval Office next year.
