Donald Trump intends to appeal his recent criminal conviction, becoming the first U.S. president to be found guilty of a crime.
Former President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he will appeal his historic criminal conviction, making him the first U.S. president to be found guilty of a crime. Speaking from Trump Tower in Manhattan, Trump stated he would wait until after his July 11 sentencing to initiate the appeal. He claimed the trial was a “rigged” attempt to derail his bid to return to the White House, warning that politically motivated prosecutions could target anyone.
“If they can do this to me, they can do this to anyone,” said Trump, 77, in an unscripted 33-minute speech. Addressing his supporters without taking questions from reporters, the 2024 Republican presidential candidate reiterated his plans to challenge what he called a “scam” verdict.
Trump has 30 days from his July 11 sentencing to file a notice of appeal.
President Joe Biden responded to Trump’s criticism, highlighting the importance of respecting the judicial process. Biden noted that Trump had ample opportunity to defend himself under the same justice system that applies to all Americans. He condemned Trump’s public attacks on jurors and witnesses, which had previously resulted in a $10,000 fine imposed by Justice Juan Merchan. Legal experts suggest this behavior could lead to a harsher sentence.
Trump’s conviction includes 34 criminal counts related to falsifying business records to hide a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election. Despite the conviction, Trump continues to face three other criminal investigations, including efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden. These cases, however, are not expected to conclude before the 2024 election.
Amid these legal challenges, Trump maintains his innocence, labeling all four cases as politically motivated. Inside sources suggest the conviction may prompt him to consider a female vice-presidential running mate.
The trial featured explicit testimony from Stormy Daniels about an alleged 2006 affair with Trump, which he denies. Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, testified that Trump authorized a $130,000 payment to Daniels to keep the affair quiet. Cohen claimed the payments were disguised as legal fees.
Prosecutors elevated the charges to felonies, arguing that Trump was concealing an illegal campaign contribution. If elected, Trump might be able to stop the two federal cases against him, but he would not have the power to influence the separate state case in Georgia.
President Biden, in his first comments since the conviction, warned against undermining the judicial system. Speaking at the White House, he emphasized that Trump was given every opportunity to defend himself and that the verdict was delivered by a fair jury.
“The U.S. justice system has stood for nearly 250 years,” Biden said. “It’s reckless, dangerous, and irresponsible to claim the trial was rigged just because you don’t like the outcome.”
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