NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump became the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes Thursday as a New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex.
Trump sat stone-faced while the verdict was read as cheering from the street below — where supporters and detractors of the former president were gathered — could be heard in the hallway on the courthouse’s 15th floor where the decision was revealed after more than nine hours of deliberations.
Donald Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts marks the end of the former president’s historic hush money trial. But the fight over the case is far from over. Here’s what to know.
When is Donald Trump’s sentencing date? The judge has set the former president’s sentencing for July 11, just days before Republicans are set to select him as 2024 nominee.
Trump’s voting eligibility: He may be convicted of a felony and reside in Florida, but he can still vote as long as he stays out of prison in New York state.
Will Trump’s conviction impact the 2024 election? It’s unclear whether his once-imaginable status as a person convicted of a felony will have any impact at all on voters.
“This was a rigged, disgraceful trial,” Trump told reporters after leaving the courtroom. “The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people. They know what happened, and everyone knows what happened here.”
Judge Juan Merchan set sentencing for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where GOP leaders, who remained resolute in their support in the immediate aftermath of the verdict, are expected to formally make him their nominee. More here from AP