Donald Trump ranted about the “whole country” being rigged after he was convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records on Thursday, making him the first former president to ever be criminally convicted.
“This was a disgrace, this was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt,” he said outside court. “It’s a rigged trial, a disgrace, they wouldn’t give us a venue change... This was a rigged, disgraceful trial. The real verdict is going to be November 5th by the people—and they know what happened here and everybody knows what happened here.”
Railing against the Biden administration and the “Soros-backed” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Trump vowed to keep fighting “to the end,” promising it was “long from over.”
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He quickly turned his eye toward the future in a Truth Social post, writing: “VICTORY ON NOVEMBER 5TH. SAVE AMERICA!!!”
His campaign team was quick to grab the baton, blasting out a fundraising email in which Trump claimed he’d become “A POLITICAL PRISONER” just minutes later.
The 77-year-old’s impassioned rant stood in stark contrast to his muted reaction minutes earlier as the verdict was read aloud. He had been reliably on-message on social media earlier in the day, spamming all-caps cris de coeur about the “WITCH HUNT” going on against him.
“MY CIVIL RIGHTS HAVE BEEN TOTALLY VIOLATED WITH THIS HIGHLY POLITICAL, UNCONSTITUTIONAL, AND ELECTION INTERFERING WITCH HUNT,” he fumed in his last Truth Social post before the verdict. “OUR FAILING NATION IS BEING LAUGHED AT ALL OVER THE WORLD!”
But now, shoulders slumped and wearing a vaguely doleful expression, he barely reacted from behind the defense table as Justice Juan Merchan polled and then thanked the jurors.
“You were engaged in a very stressful and difficult task,” the judge told the panel. “I could see how involved you were, how engaged you were... I thank you for that.”
None of the jurors looked at Trump as they filed back out. The former president puffed out his chest and arched his back slightly as the attorneys in the room haggled over procedural matters and a July 11 sentencing date was set by Merchan.
A Daily Beast reporter then looked on as Trump rose, a frown on his reddened face, and turned to shake his son Eric’s hand.
The former president and convicted felon moved for the courtroom’s double doors. Though his exit down the aisle took all of a few seconds, it seemed to last forever.
Trump’s team has 30 days from Thursday to file a notice of appeal and six months to file their full appeal, something they are expected to swiftly do. And even given his conviction, he remains eligible to run for president and will be legally allowed to take office if elected.
