No, Texas Constitution doesn't bar Trump from running for president | Fact check

Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY

The claim: Texas Constitution prohibits Trump from running for president

A June 8 Threads post (direct link, archive link) claims former President Donald Trump's felony conviction will interfere with his presidential run.

"Trump can't be on the Texas ballot because of our state constitution," The X post's caption says.

Text in the post, which was originally shared on X, formerly Twitter, says, "Texas law prohibits any person convicted of a felony from being a candidate for public office or holding any public office position."

The Threads post garnered more than 500 likes in four days. Other versions of the claim were shared on X.

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Our rating: False

Not only is the text shown in the post not part of the Texas Constitution, but eligibility for the presidency is solely decided by the U.S. Constitution.

Felony conviction doesn't bar Trump from running

Trump became the first former president to be convicted of a crime when on May 31 he was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

But this felony conviction doesn't bar Trump from running for president.

To start, the text pictured in the post isn't part of the Texas Constitution. It was published on the website for the U.S. Probation Office of the Western District of Texas. The page is titled "Civil Rights of Persons Convicted of Federal Felonies in Texas." But since Trump was convicted on state-level, not federal, charges, the restrictions listed on the page would not apply to him.

Above the text highlighted in the post, the page itself even contradicts the claim in question, saying, "The United States Constitution does not prohibit felons from holding elected federal office." This text can also be seen in the post.

Neither the Texas Constitution nor the U.S. Constitution mention anything about felony convictions affecting one's eligibility to run for office.

The only qualifications listed in the U.S. Constitution for presidential candidates are that candidates be natural-born citizens, at least 35 years old and a resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years.

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The Texas Election Code refers to the qualifications listed in the U.S. Constitution as well.

"A political party is entitled to have the names of its nominees for president and vice-president of the United States placed on the ballot in a presidential general election if: (1) the nominees possess the qualifications for those offices prescribed by federal law," reads the code.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post on Threads for comment but did not immediately receive a response. The X user couldn't be contacted.

Lead Stories also debunked the claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas Constitution doesn't affect Trump presidential run | Fact check

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