President-elect Donald Trump was formally convicted of a felony Friday after he was found guilty in May on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, a status that could impact his travel as president to the dozens of countries that refuse or restrict entry to potential visitors with a felony on their criminal records.
Key Facts
Judge Juan Merchan gave Trump an “unconditional discharge” Friday, meaning he won’t face any penalties for his crimes, including restrictions on travel that could have been imposed by the state of New York with a probation or other sentence.
But that doesn’t mean he’ll be exempt from the tough international travel restrictions other countries apply to felons—including India, China, Canada and the United Kingdom, all of which have strict requirements for visitors with criminal histories, if they’re allowed in at all.
Sixteen countries, including the United States, don’t allow foreigners with felony convictions to enter the country, and another 22 have laws that allow them to kick out any visitors once their record is discovered, even though they don’t actively screen criminal records at points of entry, according to World Population Review.
Trump’s sentencing means he can now formally appeal his conviction and try to have it overturned, which he has said he plans to do, and even without a successful appeal it’s possible international leaders would make exceptions for a sitting president.
Countries that may pose an issue for Trump to visit in his next term include Canada, which is set to host next year’s G7 summit, and Israel, Japan, the U.K., India, China and Argentina, all of which he visited in his first term.
Forbes
