Influencer Editorial Team
In a landmark decision, a New York jury convicted former U.S. President Donald Trump on all 34 charges in his hush money case on Thursday, marking a seismic development just five months before the election in which he seeks to recapture the White House. This verdict makes Trump the first criminally convicted former U.S. President but does not prevent him from campaigning for another term.
The conviction is a significant legal reckoning for Trump, exposing him to potential prison time in the city where his manipulation of the tabloid press helped transform him from a real estate mogul to a reality TV star and ultimately president. As Trump aims for a return to the White House, the judgment presents voters with another test of their willingness to accept his boundary-breaking behavior.
Analysis: How Former U.S. President Donald Trump Got Convicted at His Hush Money Trial
The conviction is a stunning development that could have profound implications for Trump’s political future. It underscores his legal vulnerabilities and raises questions about the impact of his behavior on his presidential aspirations. The case focused on allegations that Trump orchestrated a scheme to pay hush money to cover up affairs, thereby falsifying business records to conceal the payments.
Trump Supporters Call for Riots After Verdict
Following the conviction, Trump’s supporters flooded pro-Trump websites with calls for riots, revolution, and violent retribution. Dozens of violent online posts were reviewed by Reuters on platforms like Trump’s own Truth Social, Patriots.Win, and the Gateway Pundit. Some posts called for attacks on jurors, the execution of Judge Juan Merchan, or outright civil war and armed insurrection. One commentator on Patriots.Win wrote, “Someone in NY with nothing to lose needs to take care of Merchan,” referencing illegal immigrants in a threatening context.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is Convicted in Hush Money Trial. Now What?
Typically, criminal defendants in New York are sentenced within weeks of a conviction. However, post-verdict legal wrangling can sometimes delay the process for months. Lawyers and prosecutors will recommend sentences and argue over them at Trump’s sentencing hearing, where Judge Merchan will make the final decision. The judge set Trump’s sentencing for July 11, just days before Republicans are set to select him as their 2024 nominee.
Exonerated ‘Central Park Five’ Member Says He Takes ‘No Pleasure’ in Conviction
Yusef Salaam, an exonerated member of the “Central Park Five” and now a New York City Council member, expressed no pleasure in Trump’s guilty verdict despite Trump’s past calls for his execution. Salaam, who was wrongfully imprisoned for rape in a case that heightened racial tensions in the 1980s, noted that Trump had taken out ads calling for the death penalty. In a post on social media platform X, Salaam wrote, “We should be proud that today the system worked. But we should be sombre that we Americans have an ex-President who has been found guilty on 34 separate felony charges. We have to do better than this. Because we are better than this.”
For Trump’s False Records Conviction, Prison is Rare but Not Unprecedented
Now that the jury has convicted Trump, Judge Merchan will face the decision of whether to sentence the 2024 Republican presidential candidate to prison. While prison time is rare for felony falsification of business records in New York state, legal experts suggest that precedent may offer limited guidance for this unprecedented case. The trial’s outcome and the judge’s decision on sentencing could set new legal benchmarks for how such high-profile cases are handled in the future.
The conviction and its aftermath have sent shockwaves through the political landscape, raising the stakes for the upcoming election and setting the stage for a contentious battle over Trump’s future. As the legal and political drama unfolds, the nation watches closely to see how this historic moment will shape the future of American politics.
