The internet was abuzz on Thursday after a New York City jury returned a guilty verdict in former President Trump’s hush-money trial.
Trump was found guilty on all 34 charges of falsifying business records at the end of a six-week trial in Manhattan court.
The ruling makes Trump the first former US president to be convicted of a crime, but it will not bar him from running for president. Trump plans to appeal the verdict, but it could be months or years before an appeals court rules.
Meanwhile, liberals praised the ruling on social media.
Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower on Thursday, May 30, 2024, after being convicted of 34 counts of first-degree falsifying business records. (Felipe Ramares for Fox News Digital)
Trump found guilty on all charges in New York criminal trial
“The Republican nominee for president is a convicted felon,” author Stephen King pointed out.
Vox reporter Eric Levitz joked, “If Donald Trump can do this, so can any American trying to falsify business records to hide the fact that he paid hush money to a former porn star mistress during his presidential campaign.”
“Thank goodness it’s Alvin Bragg and not Merrick Garland,” said former MSNBC anchor Mehdi Hasan.
MediasTouch News editor-in-chief Ron Filipkowski declared, “From now on, when we refer to this person, we will refer to him as convicted felon Donald Trump.”
“I’m thinking about the last words of the Pledge of Allegiance, ‘Liberty and Justice for All,'” said former CNN anchor Brian Stelter.
MSNBC contributor Ruth Benguiat wrote, “This is democracy in action. More on that later.”
“The jury found Trump guilty on all 34 counts. Justice has been served,” MSNBC legal analyst Barb McQuaid agreed.
“I’m thinking of the opening scene of Superman, where the Council declares Zod and his allies ‘guilty’ one by one and sentences them to death with the flying mirror,” ABC legal reporter Asha Rangappa joked.
Donald Trump, Thursday, May 30, 2024, at Trump Tower after being convicted of 34 counts of first-degree falsifying business records. (Felipe Ramares for Fox News Digital)
However, several online users criticized the decision, saying it was unfair to Trump or an abuse of the justice system that would have harmful consequences.
After conviction, Trump promises “it’s not over” and vows to “fight to the end”
“People say professional wrestling is rigged,” said former WWE wrestler and Tennessee mayor Glenn Jacobs.
Actor Michael Rapaport claimed, “I’m betting money on Trump to win the 2024 election.”
“They set Trump’s sentence for July 11th, four days before the Republican National Convention was to begin. The whole thing is clearly rigged,” Outkick founder Clay Travis said.
“This is a travesty and abuse of the legal system that should embarrass everyone who conceived and supported it,” declared National Review editor Rich Lowry.
“The banana republics politely request that you stop unfairly comparing yourself to the United States,” Babylon Bee editor-in-chief Kyle Mann joked.
“We all know what Jeffrey Toobin is up to these days,” quipped Weekly Standard editor Adam Rubenstein.
“Trump may win in a landslide. This case may be overturned on appeal. But the bell doesn’t end when it rings. We now live in a different country than we woke up in the morning,” warned Benjamin Weingarten, editor-in-chief of RealClear Investigations.
“More seriously, this is dangerous. If you’re going to convict a former president or former candidate, you’d be better off going after him thoroughly on clearly serious crimes. Breaking such an arcane seal and insisting it happen in an election year will have long-term implications,” T. Beckett Adams, program director at the National Journalism Center, wrote.
He continued, “You can debate all you want about whether the sentence was fair. I’m just saying what would realistically happen. It would greatly increase tensions. ‘But the rule of law…!’ Right! That’s why they should have filed the lawsuit before an election year! Have some courtesy. Now? Whew, kid.”
For more articles on Media and Culture click here
Former US President Donald Trump in Manhattan Criminal Court, Wednesday, May 29, 2024, in New York, USA. (Yuki Iwamura/Pool via Reuters)
The former president’s sentence will be handed down at 10 a.m. on July 11, just four days before the start of the Republican National Convention, where he is scheduled to be formally nominated as the Republican presidential candidate in 2024. The convention will be held in Milwaukee from July 15 to 18.
Click here to get the FOX News app
Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
