Donald Trump was convicted of falsifying business records to influence the 2016 presidential campaign Thursday in a historic trial that saw a former U.S. president face criminal charges for the first time.
After deliberating over two days, a New York jury found Trump guilty of 34 counts related to a $130,000 payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The prosecution had alleged Daniels was paid to keep secret a 2006 tryst she had with Trump in order to influence the results of the 2016 election, which Trump ultimately won.
Trump’s sentencing has been scheduled for July 11.
The trial lasted a month and a half and was plenty eventful. In addition to the fiery testimonies of Daniels and Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen, Trump was held in contempt of court 10 times and fined $10,000 for violating a gag order against attacking people involved with the trial. Many Republican leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, traveled to New York to speak out in support of the 2024 Republican presidential candidate.
Trump, who did not testify in his defense, will appeal the verdict, according to his lawyers. The result may have an impact on Trump’s chances to reclaim the White House, however. Recent Yahoo News/YouGov polling suggested a conviction would hurt Trump in a head-to-head matchup against President Joe Biden.
Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche, who delivered the closing argument for the defense, said in a Thursday interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that the former president would appeal the jury’s guilty verdicts handed down in the hush money trial.
“As soon as we can appeal, we will,” Blanche said, noting that the defense still had court issues to resolve with Judge Juan Merchan before they would file their appeal.
While Blanche complimented the jury as hard-working and attentive, he said it was “very hard for us to get a fair trial” because “every single person on that jury knew Donald Trump.”
Asked whether it was a mistake not to have Trump take the witness stand in his own defense, Blanche noted that it was “ultimately” Trump’s decision.
“I don’t think there was a conviction because he did not take the stand,” Blanche added.
As to the prospect that his client could be sentenced to prison by the judge in the case, Blanche continued to defend his client.
“Somebody like President Trump should never, never face a jail sentence,” he said, adding that he planned to keep working on Trump’s legal team in the other criminal cases in which the former president is charged.