Trump reacts to Guilty verdict by Manhattan jury

Following a landmark ruling by a Manhattan jury on Thursday, May 30, former President Donald Trump, 77, addressed reporters with evident anger after being found guilty on all 34 counts in the historic hush money criminal case against him.

Speaking moments after the jury, consisting of five women and seven men, delivered its decision, Trump vehemently proclaimed his innocence and directed blame at President Biden for the ordeal.

“The real verdict will be Nov. 5 by the people … I’m a very innocent man,” Trump asserted, visibly incensed by the outcome. He portrayed himself as a defender of the nation and its constitution, decrying what he characterized as a decline in the country.

The charges against Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, revolved around allegations of falsifying company documents related to a hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels by his then-fixer Michael Cohen in the lead-up to the 2016 election. Cohen, the prosecution’s star witness, played a pivotal role in the case.

Convicted on all 34 counts of falsifying business records, each carrying a potential sentence of up to four years behind bars, Trump becomes the first US president to be branded a convicted felon. The case was prosecuted by the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office.