Donald Trump indicted: How much time in prison could former president serve?
Asher Notheis
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Former President Donald Trump‘s latest indictment could land him a few centuries in prison if he receives the maximum sentence for all 37 of the criminal counts he faces.
The former president revealed on Thursday night that he was indicted for storing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence after he left the White House, with the 49-page indictment unsealed on Friday. Trump faces 31 counts for the willful retention of national defense information, one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, one count of withholding a document or record, one count of corruptly concealing a document or record, one count of concealing a document in a federal investigation, one count for a scheme to conceal, and one count related to alleged false statements.
DONALD TRUMP INDICTED: CHARGES UNSEALED IN CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS CASE AGAINST EX-PRESIDENT
If Trump is convicted on the 37 charges, he would be facing a total maximum sentence of 400 years in prison.
The 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information are punishable by 10 years each, while the three counts of withholding or concealing documents in a federal investigation are worth 20 years each. On the two counts of false statements, the former president could receive 5 years each, and the count of conspiracy to obstruct justice could tack on an additional 20 years, equaling 400 years in jail time, according to the Washington Post.
However, this amount in prison would be increased to over half a millennium in jail when combined with the 34 felony counts in New York that Trump faces over hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. These 34 counts, if given the maximum sentence, would land Trump with 136 years in jail, totaling 536 years in jail over the 71 counts.
This maximum jail time could go even higher in the future, as Trump still faces the Department of Justice‘s investigation into the former president’s conduct surrounding the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, and an investigation of Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.
The latest indictment poses more trouble for Trump in his attempt to reclaim the White House in 2024, as he faces competition from multiple Republican candidates in the primary race. Likewise, multiple polls show the former president struggling to beat President Joe Biden, who is seeking reelection in 2024.
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In the event of Trump and Biden facing off in a rematch in the 2024 presidential election, many voters would consider voting for a third-party candidate.
A NewsNation and Decision Desk HQ poll showed that 23.38% of voters said they are very likely to consider a third-party candidate if there is a rematch between Biden and Trump next year, while 25.67% of respondents said they are somewhat likely to consider voting for a third-party candidate.