Kaitlin Lewis
Former President Donald Trump‘s has become the first former U.S. president to be convicted of criminal charges, and the verdict has sparked a mixed reaction online from celebrities and notable figures.
Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection to a $130,000 hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges against him in the indictment brought against him by the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. He will face sentencing on July 11.
“This was a disgrace, this was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge that was corrupt,” Trump told reporters outside the courthouse after the verdict was read.
“We didn’t do a thing wrong,” he added. “I’m a very innocent man.”
Former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump exits the courtroom after he was convicted in his criminal trial at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, on May 30, 2024. Trump’s guilty verdict split celebrities and other notable figures on Thursday, with a handful speaking up in defense of the former presdient.
JUSTIN LANE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The 12-person jury’s verdict garnered reaction from figures like Tucker Carlson, a conservative political commentator who said that Trump’s conviction marks “the end of the fairest justice system in the world.”
“Import the Third World, become the Third World,” Carlson wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “That’s what we just saw. This won’t stop Trump. He’ll win the election if he’s not killed first. But it does mark the end of the fairest justice system in the world. Anyone who defends this verdict is a danger to you and your family.”
Other celebrities welcomed the conviction, including American actor Rob Reiner, who posted to X, “GUILTY!!!!!”
“Guilty on all counts,” wrote Billy Baldwin, an American actor and producer. “E. Jean Carroll ✅ Stormy Daniels ✅ Election interference, espionage and inciting an insurrection coming up.”
“Dear #MAGA,” added author Don Winslow. “Guilty 34 times. All best, Don Winslow.”
Former Minnesota Senator Al Franken, a Democrat, also celebrated Trump’s guilty verdict but noted that the conviction also marks a “sad day” for the United States.
“This is a great day because justice prevailed; Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts,” Franken wrote on X. “But a sad day because we have a former president who committed several crimes.”
“If this had gotten out before the ’16 election, if they hadn’t paid off Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougall, I believe we would have avoided a Trump presidency,” he added. “The job now is to prevent another Trump presidency.”
This is a developing story. It will be updated as information becomes available
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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