Donald Trump appeared red in the face and frowned after becoming the first US president to be convicted of a felony as the hush money trial jury found him guilty.
‘Guilty, guilty, guilty…’ a jury of 12 New Yorkers read out their verdicts at a court in Manhattan.
The 2024 Republican Party nominee was found guilty of all 34 counts of falsifying business records around a $130,000 payment his ex-fixer Michael Cohen made to porn star Stormy Daniels.
The nation – and the world – are now waiting to see what happens to him now – whether the sentence could involve a fine, probation or supervision, or possibly prison time.
Trump stood up as jurors exited the court, wearing a frown on his face, according to The New York Times. His eyes were downcast.
His son Eric Trump, who sat behind him in the courtroom, appeared upset, CNN reported.
Trump frowned and grabbed his son’s hand and shook it rapidly, then they began walking out of the courtroom.
‘Our whole country is being rigged right now,’ the politician told reporters as he left the courtroom, where he has spent the past seven weeks attending his historic trial.
‘This was done by the Biden administration in order to wound or hurt an opponent, a political opponent.’
Trump vowed to ‘keep fighting’.
‘We’ll fight ’til the end and we’ll win because our country’s gone to hell,’ he said. ‘We don’t have the same country anymore, we have a divided mess.’
He concluded with: ‘We will fight for our Constitution. This is long from over.’
Trump’s remarks were brief, running less than three minutes. He did not answer shouted questions from reporters.
Outside the courthouse, a protester held a banner that read, ‘Trump Convicted’.
Shortly after the verdict was read, President Joe Biden sent out an X (formerly Twitter) post to fundraise for his campaign.
‘There’s only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: At the ballot box,’ wrote Biden.
Biden’s campaign spokesman Michael Tyler said Trump’s conviction demonstrated that ‘no one is above the law’.
‘There is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box,’ Tyler told The Times. ‘Convicted felon or not, Trump will be the Republican nominee for president.’
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson called it ‘a shameful day in American history’.
‘The American people see this as lawfare, and they know it is wrong – and dangerous,’ stated Johnson. ‘President Trump will rightfully appeal this absurd verdict – and he WILL WIN!’
As Trump departed the courthouse in his motorcade, he waved at the crowd that was a mix of his supporters and opponents. His motorcade encountered some traffic on the way to Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who brought the case, held a press conference around 6.45pm, appearing emotional and as if choked up, and with a bit of red in his eyes, according to The Times.
Speaking slowly, Bragg thanked the ’12 everyday New Yorkers’ who served in the jury that represents the ‘cornerstone of our judicial system’.
‘This type of white-collar prosecution is core to what we do at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office,’ said Bragg.
‘I did my job. Our job is to follow the facts without fear or favor, and that’s what we did here.’
Bragg concluded by stating again: ‘Donald J Trump has been convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records.’
Jurors deliberated for more than 11 hours, starting on Wednesday morning and reaching a verdict at the end of the second day. Closing arguments were held on Tuesday.
Late afternoon on Thursday, Justice Juan Merchan, who has been overseeing the case, said he had received a note from the jury foreperson at 4.20pm stating that they had reached a verdict.
Trump was ‘smiling a minute ago’ before the judge’s announcement and became ‘suddenly serious’, The Times reported.
He crossed his arms across his chest and whispered to his lawyers, according to the newspaper.
Trump was leaning back on his chair when the judge walked in, and maintained a straight face.
‘Please let there be no reactions, no outbursts of any kind,’ said Merchan, according to CNN.
Bragg entered the courtroom and sat behind prosecutors who tried the case for him.
Jurors asked for an additional 30 minutes to fill out their verdict sheet.
The courtroom scene was tense and Trump sat ‘very still’ and with his head slightly tilted to the right as they awaited jurors to enter, according to The Times.
How long it would take for the jury to come to a verdict was not initially known, as deliberations in all trials can take hours, days, and even weeks.
Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records and denied reimbursing Cohen for the hush payment that was made amid his 2016 presidential campaign. The ex-president has also denied any sexual encounter with Daniels.
Daniels’ husband, Barrett Blade, told CNN of the verdict: ‘It’s a big weight off her shoulders at this point.’
‘She was brought into this. This wasn’t her seeking justice for herself,’ said Blade. ‘She was standing up for herself early on and saying what was right, but this whole hush money trial is really nothing… it’s not her story
Trump faces a sentence from probation to four years behind bars.
Shortly after the jury began deliberating on Wednesday, Trump told reporters outside the courtroom that the charges against him and the whole trial was ‘rigged’ and compared himself to a Roman Catholic saint.
‘And we have a trial like this where the judge is so conflicted he can’t breathe. He’s got to do his job. It’s a disgrace,’ said Trump.
‘Mother Teresa could not beat those charges. But we’ll see. We’ll see how we do. It’s a very disgraceful situation.’
Also on the first day, the ex-president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, shared a TikTok video showing him appearing light-hearted and writing ‘mean tweets’ at a table with junk food including candies and a Diet Coke.
Trump’s sentencing hearing has been set for July 11, which is just four days before the Republican National Convention is expected to announce him as the party’s nominee for president.
Bragg declined to comment on ‘hypotheticals’ around Trump’s sentencing. He did not say if he will request a prison sentence for Trump.
Back at Trump Tower, the former president waved at the crowd gathered there and made a fist. He appeared to mouth, ‘Thank you’, before walking inside. The crowd was a mix of his fans and people chanting, ‘Lock him up.’
Trump wrote on Truth Social: ‘VICTORY ON NOVEMBER 5TH. SAVE AMERICA!!!’
Meanwhile, Eric sought to memorialize the day.
‘May 30th, 2024 might be remembered as the day Donald J. Trump won the 2024 Presidential Election,’ he wrote.
Trump said he would speak to reporters from the Trump Tower atrium at 11am on Friday, and pitched his presidential campaign slogan: ‘MAGA2024!’
While Trump’s sentence remains to be revealed, the US Constitution clearly does not prohibit a convicted felon from running of president.
Shortly after the verdict was announced, Rishi Sunak was asked to comment on whether he was willing to work with a convicted felon in the White House if he wins July’s presidential election.
The prime minister said: ‘You wouldn’t expect me to comment on another country’s domestic politics or judicial processes.
‘I’m focused squarely on the election here at home talking to people across the country about the choice at our election.’ (Metro)
