Trump rails against verdict after jury finds him guilty of all 34 counts in hush-money trial – live | Donald Trump trials

Michael Cohen, in a statement responding to the verdict reported by multiple outlets, said:

Today is an important day for accountability and the rule of law. While it has been a difficult journey for me and my family, the truth always matters.

He thanked his attorneys, Danya Perry and Joshua Kolb, “for their invaluable guidance and support.”

Cohen, of course, is Donald Trump’s former lawyer and fixer who became the prosecution’s star witness. Cohen was at the center of the criminal case as the man who set up the deal to pay Stormy Daniels $130,000 shortly before the 2016 presidential election to keep her from speaking out about an alleged affair she had with Trump.

Nearby, a verbal altercation broke out between a protester wearing a Trump 2024 flag and a protester holding a sign that read “Trans people are good people.”

The latter yelled, “We need work! We need food! We need to pay rent!” In response, the Trump supporter shouted, “You’re a socialist, that’s why! Get a fucking job!” A flurry of “Fuck you’s” were then swiftly exchanged as reporters and onlookers clamored around them.

Meanwhile, a man donning a light blue shirt and a hat that said “#1 Fan” groaned loudly as he looked up at the sky. “Oh god, I’m going to vomit,” he said exasperatedly. He then put his hands on his knees and bent forward while holding a sign that read, “Free Father Teresa,” an apparent reference to Trump likening himself to Mother Teresa earlier this week. As the man heaved, nothing came up.

Shortly after collecting himself, the man, who identified himself as James, stood up and went to join another Trump supporter wearing a Maga hat. Together, they yelled at a crowd of reporters, saying, “He’s a native New Yorker. Don’t forget that. I’m a native New Yorker!”

One reporter said, “He’s a convicted felon!” In response, the man in the light blue shirt shook his head forcefully, saying, “Not really, not really. It doesn’t count!”

The other Trump supporter chimed in, saying, “There’s a lot of bullshit that happened here.”

Shortly after 5pm, a crowd of several hundred people outside 100 Centre Street erupted into simultaneous applause, cheers and groans.

Above the park across the courthouse was a helicopter that hovered loudly. Print and broadcast reporters rushed to get into position, their cameras and mics poised in the air. Donald Trump has been found guilty of all 34 counts of fraud.

A heavy sense of shock and relief appeared to hang in the air, with many protesters, counter-protesters and onlookers wearing a look of surprise on their faces.

Some wore red Maga hats. One man waved a sign that read “Guilty” in big bold letters. In his hand was also an American flag. The man, who identified himself as Bill Christeson, told reporters:

We got him… Hopefully this will be the beginning of the end of this grifter…This is the beginning of the end, folks.

Another man waved a yellow sign that read, “God, strike Trump dead. Judge, free him.” Speaking to reporters, the man, who wore an orange mask and a red Maga hat, said:

New York is a machine state. New York City is a machine city… There’s not a lot of sense in New York City.

Is Trump going to jail?

Sam Levine

A Manhattan jury has convicted Donald Trump on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the hush-money case. The immediate next question is: what punishment should the former US president receive?

It’s a decision that rests entirely with Juan Merchan, the judge overseeing the case. The crimes Trump has been found guilty of, falsifying business records in the first degree, are class E felonies in New York, the least serious category, and punishable by up to four years in prison. His sentencing is set for 11 July.

But Trump is unlikely to be sentenced to prison, experts say. He is a first-time offender, and the crime he has been found guilty of is a non-violent paper crime.

“I think the judge would probably not incarcerate him under those circumstances alone,” said Cheryl Bader, a law professor at Fordham University who called any sentence of incarceration “unlikely”.

But also given that he is a former president, has a Secret Service detail and is also the presumptive Republican nominee, I think a term of incarceration would be logistically very difficult, but also would have political implications that I think Judge Merchan would want to avoid.

Any punishment is likely to consist of fines, probation, community service or some combination of those. Karen Friedman Agnifilo, a former top prosecutor in the Manhattan district attorney’s office, said:

I would like to see community service – picking up trash on the subway.

Much could depend on how Merchan interprets Trump’s conduct, including any lack of remorse. “I can’t imagine we will see a remorseful, apologetic Trump if it comes time for sentencing,” Bader said.

Judges also consider the harm caused. On one hand, Judge Merchan could view this as a technical recording violation to cover up tawdry conduct, causing only minimal harm. On the other hand, he could view Trump’s conduct as inflicting deep harm on the entire country by depriving the voting public of their right to cast an informed vote in the highest-ranking national election.

Donald Trump’s campaign was quick to fundraise off the back of the guilty verdict, sending out an email to supporters within minutes of the news.

The email headline reads:

BREAKING FROM TRUMP: I AM A POLITICAL PRISONER!

It goes on to ask the recipient whether “this is the end of America?” before saying that Trump had been convicted “in a RIGGED political Witch Hunt trial: I DID NOTHING WRONG!”

The fundraising email continues:

They’ve raided my home, arrested me, took my mugshot, AND NOW THEY’VE JUST CONVICTED ME!

But with your support at this moment in history, WE WILL WIN BACK THE WHITE HOUSE AND MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

Dozens of reporters are lined up outside the courthouse as protesters gather in the park across 100 Centre Street.

“Fuck Trump!” some yell, while others hold up signs that read “Trump I don’t trust you” and “Trans people are good people”.

A helicopter hovers overhead as a crowd of press, protesters and onlookers crowd around 100 Centre Street. The atmosphere is buzzing with excitement, frustration, near tears and shock.

Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House, has also responded to the verdict, describing it as a “shameful day in American history”.

Johnson’s full statement reads:

Today is a shameful day in American history. Democrats cheered as they convicted the leader of the opposing party on ridiculous charges, predicated on the testimony of a disbarred, convicted felon. This was a purely political exercise, not a legal one.

The weaponization of our justice system has been a hallmark of the Biden Administration, and the decision today is further evidence that Democrats will stop at nothing to silence dissent and crush their political opponents.

The American people rightfully see this is lawfare, and they know it is—and dangerous. President Trump will rightfully appeal this absurd verdict—and he WILL WIN.

The Biden-Harris campaign has said that the verdict shows that “no one is above the law”.

A statement from the campaign reads:

Donald Trump has always mistakenly believed he would never face consequences for breaking the law for his own personal gain. But today’s verdict does not change the fact that the American people face a simple reality. There is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box. Convicted felon or not, Trump will be the Republican nominee for president.

The threat Trump poses to our democracy has never been greater. He is running an increasingly unhinged campaign of revenge and retribution, pledging to be a dictator ‘on day one’ and calling for our Constitution to be ‘terminated’ so he can regain and keep power. A second Trump term means chaos, ripping away Americans’ freedoms and fomenting political violence – and the American people will reject it this November.