John,

There’s a lot of noise right now about what may happen with Trump’s trial and if he’s going to go to jail. I thought I’d send a quick explainer to get us all filled in.

What we know:
Closing arguments concluded today. Now the jury has to determine what, if any, crimes Trump is guilty of. Since the jury has had a few days off, we’re expecting a quick (ish) verdict, potentially as early as this week.

What’s coming:
If Trump is found guilty Justice Juan Merchan next has to schedule another hearing, this time for sentencing. Punishment can range from probation all the way up to 4 years in prison. Another option would be ordering Trump to perform public service (can you imagine?).

What to expect:
No matter what the verdict is, be wary of any talking head on TV who tells you they know how this will affect Trump’s election chances. The truth is, we have no idea what swing voters will think about this. We all lived through the shock of the 2016 election. Don’t be fooled by conventional wisdom. We’ve never in our country’s history lived through a moment like this.

Brace yourselves, it’s going to be a crazy week,
Josh