Trump's conviction in a criminal case sets a precedent for a former U.S. president.

 

A New York jury on Thursday convicted former President Donald Trump of all 34 charges against him in the case of falsifying accounting records to conceal his payment of money to buy the silence of a pornographic film actress, in a seismic development that comes five months before the presidential elections in which he seeks to return to the White House.

The Republican billionaire thus becomes the first former US president to be criminally convicted, although this ruling does not prevent him from continuing his campaign or even being elected president.

The political ramifications of the verdict were not immediately clear.

The president of the court, Judge Juan Merchan, said the verdict would be announced at ten o'clock in the morning (14:00 GMT) on July 11, and he ordered the convict released without bail until then.

The judge in Manhattan District Court gave Trump's defense team until June 13 to present its defense, and the prosecution until June 27 to respond to that defense.

As the guilty verdict was read, the former president remained stone-faced, his shoulders slightly hunched.

Immediately after the verdict was announced, Trump was quick to denounce a "sham" trial, considering the verdict against him a "disgrace" because he is "an innocent man" and asserting in a challenging tone that the "real verdict" will be issued by the voters on the day of the presidential elections on November 5.

Trump quickly returned to his tower in Manhattan, where he will hold a press conference on Friday morning at 11:00 (15:00 GMT).

For its part, the White House said only that it "respects the rule of law" and "has no further comment".

As for President Joe Biden, who is spending Thursday with his family to commemorate the ninth anniversary of the death of his eldest son, he did not immediately comment.

The campaign of US President Joe Biden, on the other hand, saw the verdict as proof that "no one is above the law".

Campaign official Michael Tyler said in a statement that despite the conviction, "there is only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office, and that is through the ballot box. Whether he is convicted or not, Trump will be the Republican nominee" in the presidential election scheduled for November 5. November.

For his part, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, expressed his regret over the guilty verdict, considering this day a "shameful day" in the history of the United States.

The Republican leader said, "Today is a shameful day in American history. The Democrats are cheering the conviction of the leader of the opposition party on ridiculous charges based on the testimony of a (lawyer) who has been convicted and disbarred. This is a purely political practice, not a judicial one."

Just hours after the verdict was handed down, Trump's defense team announced its intention to appeal.

Attorney Todd Blanche, the former president's defense attorney, said the defense team would appeal the sentence "as soon as possible."

"We will appeal the verdict as soon as possible," Blanche told CNN, explaining that "in New York, the procedures require that the verdict be entered first, and then we will appeal."

Outside the Manhattan courthouse, the faces of some New Yorkers who left work to hear of the historic verdict were filled with joy, while others expressed dissatisfaction with the verdict.

John Ruddy, who identified himself as a "60-year-old gay man," said, "This is one of those rare moments that really proves that no one is above the law in the United States.

On the contrary, said Matthew Turner, the verdict "will make [Trump] more popular in the eyes of the American people."

The 12-member jury reached the verdict unanimously after two days of deliberations. The jury said it found Trump guilty of all 34 counts against him related to his falsification of accounting documents with the aim of concealing the sum of $130,000 he paid to pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels to avoid a sex scandal at the end of his presidential campaign in 2016.

As soon as the jury announced the verdict, Judge Merchan, whom Trump has always called "corrupt," thanked them. Addressing the wise man, Fein said, "You gave this case the attention it deserved."

The ruling came in the midst of the presidential campaign and a few weeks before the first scheduled debate between Trump and Biden on June 27, followed by the Republican National Convention, which will be held in Milwaukee July 15-18 to officially announce the party's nominee.

Five months before the election, it is difficult to predict the impact of this decision on voters.

Trump quickly tried to use the conviction to his advantage, calling himself a "political prisoner" on his fundraising page.

Since 2023, indictments in four separate criminal cases and convictions in three other civil cases have not prevented him from receiving the party's nomination.

Trump maintains his innocence of all charges against him and views all the ongoing prosecutions against him as a campaign of political "persecution" behind his Democratic opponents.

But some opinion polls suggest that the guilty verdict will cause some Trump voters to abandon him.

The Republican candidate missed no opportunity to exploit his trial for media attention, speaking repeatedly outside the courtroom each day.

However, he refused to testify during his trial.

Trump is accused of falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 payment made on the eve of the 2016 presidential election against Hillary Clinton to keep adult film actress Stormy Daniels quiet about a sexual encounter she says she had with him, which he denies.

In addition to the New York case, Trump faces charges in Washington and Georgia on suspicion of trying to change the outcome of the 2020 election.

He also faces charges in Florida on suspicion of mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House.