A New York jury convicting Donald Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records brought the former president’s weekslong trial to a close but ushered in a new phase of the historic case.
Now in the unique position of being the first former US president convicted of a felony, Trump faces the possibility of a prison sentence or probation for his crimes stemming from a hush money payment scheme he helped facilitate ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Trump – who is known for mounting lengthy appeals of court rulings against him – is also likely to appeal the conviction, which could significantly delay his sentencing, currently set for July 11.
Here’s what to know about the case following Trump’s conviction:
When will Trump be sentenced?
Judge Juan Merchan has set Trump’s sentencing for 10 a.m. ET on July 11. For now, the former president will remain out of prison as he awaits his sentencing. Prosecutors did not ask for Trump to post any bond.
Can Trump appeal his conviction?
Shortly after Trump was convicted, his attorney Todd Blanche asked Merchan for an acquittal of the charges notwithstanding the guilty verdict. The judge rejected the pro forma request.
Can Trump still be elected president?
Nothing in the US Constitution bars a convicted criminal from running for the nation’s highest office, University of California, Los Angeles law professor Richard L. Hasen has consistently said.
“The Constitution contains only limited qualifications for running for office (being at least 35 years old, a natural born citizen, and at least 14 years a resident of the U.S.),” Hasen continued.
Will the conviction cost Trump his right to vote?
Trump is a Florida resident. When it comes to the Manhattan guilty verdict just rendered, Trump’s right to vote in Florida in November’s election will depend on whether he is sentenced to a term in prison and if he has finished serving that prison sentence by the time of the election.
Florida’s felon voting prohibitions apply to people with out-of-state convictions. However, if a Floridian’s conviction is out of state, Florida defers to that state’s laws for how felon can regain their voting rights.
Stormy Daniels’ attorney says she was “really emotional” after verdict
From CNN’s Kaanita Iyer
Stormy Daniels’ attorney Clark Brewster said his client was “really emotional” following former President Donald Trump’s guilty verdict in the hush money case.
He told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that Daniels faced the “realization of the finality” and had “a lot of emotions flowing.”
Brewster also responded to Trump attorney Todd Blanche saying he’d raise Daniels’ testimony in appeal, arguing that “it was straightforward” and “they had an opportunity to cross examine her.”
Stormy Daniels’ friend said “it’s a joyous day” after Trump’s guilty verdict
From CNN’s Piper Hudspeth Blackburn
Alana Evans, friend of Stormy Daniels and an adult film star told CNN’s Abby Phillip that she — and Daniels — absolutely feels vindicated by Trump’s guilty verdict, calling it a “joyous day.”
“We were deemed credible, and it’s heartwarming in that way because so many people judge us for who we are — our backgrounds — it’s something that’s thrown in our faces again and again … it isn’t a reflection of who we are as people,” Evans said.
Evans added that she’s “really happy simply because it meant that at the end of the day, it really is a adult film star who is stepping forward and being the person to put that man to the truth.”
In pictures: Trump convicted in hush money case
For the first time in history, a former US president has been convicted of a felony.
A jury on Thursday found Donald Trump guilty on 34 charges of falsifying business records. Prosecutors alleged that the former president engaged in a cover-up scheme to hide reimbursement payments made to his former attorney, Michael Cohen, who had paid hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels to stop her from going public about a past affair with Trump before the 2016 presidential election. Trump has denied the affair.
See more photos from the trial.
Trump is facing 3 other criminal cases while running again for president
From CNN’s Devan Cole, Amy O’Kruk and Curt Merrill
The hush money criminal case against former President Donald Trump was only one of four criminal cases he is juggling while running again for president.
The former president still faces criminal indictments in Georgia, Washington, DC, and Florida. Trump has pleaded not guilty to every charge in these cases.
Here’s a recap of each case:
- Hush money: Trump was first indicted in March 2023 by the Manhattan district attorney on state charges related to a hush-money payment to an adult film star in 2016. Prosecutors alleged Trump was part of an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election. Further, they alleged he was part of an unlawful plan to suppress negative information, including the $130,000 payment. He was found guilty of all 34 counts on Thursday.
- Classified documents: Trump was indicted in June 2023 by a federal grand jury in Miami for taking classified national defense documents from the White House after he left office and resisting the government’s attempts to retrieve the materials. The National Archives said in early 2022 that at least 15 boxes of White House records were recovered from the estate, including some that were classified. The charges were brought by special counsel Jack Smith. However, Judge Aileen Cannon has indefinitely postponed the trial, citing significant issues around classified evidence that would need to be worked out before the federal criminal case goes to a jury.
- Federal election interference: Smith separately charged the former president last August with four crimes over his efforts to reverse the 2020 election results. The indictment alleges Trump and a co-conspirator “attempted to exploit the violence and chaos at the Capitol by calling lawmakers to convince them … to delay the certification” of the election. That case is currently on hold as the Supreme Court weighs Trump’s claims of presidential immunity in the matter.
- Fulton County: State prosecutors in Georgia brought a similar election subversion case against Trump and others. An Atlanta-based grand jury on August 14, 2023, indicted Trump and 18 others on state charges stemming from their alleged efforts to overturn the former president’s 2020 electoral defeat. A trial date has not yet been set in that case.
Track the criminal cases against Trump.
The post was updated with details from Thursday’s verdict.
Melania Trump is in New York City, source says
From CNN’s Kristen Holmes
Former first lady Melania Trump and her son, Barron Trump, are currently in New York, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. The two were already in New York when the verdict was read earlier Thursday, although it was not immediately clear when they arrived in the city.
Melania Trump did not attend a fundraiser dinner with Trump at a private residence Thursday night in New York City.
She was not seen at court during the trial.
Schumer says “no one is above the law” after Trump verdict
From CNN’s Morgan Rimmer
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer posted a brief statement about the verdict in former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial on social media.
“No one is above the law. The verdict speaks for itself,” the New York Democrat said.
Trump attorney Todd Blanche outlines appeal arguments
From CNN’s Kaanita Iyer
Donald Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Thursday that the former president’s legal team plans to argue in its appeal of the verdict that the jury was biased against Trump and the timing of the trial was unfair.
“Every single person on the jury knew Donald Trump as president, as candidate, from ‘The Apprentice’ so I don’t accept that this was a fair place to try President Trump,” Blanche said.
He added: “There was so much publicity around the witnesses and around – leading up to the trial that our system of justice isn’t supposed to be a system where every person who walks into the courtroom knows about the case.”
“The law says a person is entitled to a fair trial in front of a jury of their peers and we just think that because of everything around the lead up this trial, it made it very difficult for the jury to evaluate the evidence kind of independent of what they knew coming in,” Blanche said.
Blanche previewed that Trump’s legal team will now “vigorously fight” with motions due in a few weeks. And “if that is not successful,” the attorney said they will appeal following the sentencing in July.
Trump’s attorney said he was “very surprised” when news came that the jury had reached a verdict
From CNN’s Kaanita Iyer
Donald Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche said he was “very surprised” when it was announced that a verdict had been reached in the former president’s hush money trial on Thursday.
“As 4:30 came, we were just going to go home and start again tomorrow, and then the jury, you know, sent a note that they reached a verdict,” Blanche told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on “The Source.”
But Blanche clarified that “it wasn’t surprising like ‘Oh my gosh, I’m shocked'” because they were prepared for a guilty verdict.
Remember: Shortly after 4 p.m. ET, Judge Juan Merchan told the courtroom the jury would be dismissed at 4:30 p.m. and the expectation was that the jurors would resume their deliberations on Friday. Trump was saying “Thank you” to the court staff and his demeanor was the most relaxed since jury selection.
Then word came that the jurors, who had been deliberating for nearly 12 hours over two days, had reached a verdict. Not long afterward, the guilty verdict on 34 counts was announced.
Ivanka Trump posts “I love you dad” on Instagram
From CNN’s Gloria Pazmino
Ivanka Trump has posted an image on Instagram of herself as a small girl being held by Donald Trump with the caption, “I love you dad.”
As CNN previously reported, she did not join her father for his court appearances. Ivanka’s husband, Jared Kushner, didn’t make the trip to the Manhattan courthouse either.
Ivanka Trump’s absence from the trial was not surprising to many close to the former president, CNN previously reported. Both Ivanka Trump and Kushner have distanced themselves from Trump’s latest presidential campaign.
Trump attorney says legal team was “prepared for a guilty verdict”
From CNN’s Kaanita Iyer
Donald Trump attorney Todd Blanche shared with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Thursday that the legal team was “prepared for a guilty verdict.”
Trump reportedly told people that he believed it would be a hung jury, and while Blanche said they “were fighting to win the case, of course, but a hung jury would have been as close to a win as we could’ve gotten.”
“But we were prepared for a conviction. I think that was expected,” Blanche added.
Trump attorney shares why the former president didn’t testify
From CNN’s Kaanita Iyer
Donald Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Thursday that the former president wanted to testify, but he relied on counsel and ultimately did not take stand.
“He wanted to get his story out. I think the judge had made some decisions before the trial, the day the trial started, about what would be allowed to be asked of him by the prosecutors if he took the stand and some of those questions were really complicated to answer because they’re still appeals going on,” Blanche said, adding “ultimately it’s his decision and he listened to us and relied on our counsel, and he reached the decision that he thought was right, which I very much agreed with.”
McConnell says he expects Trump’s conviction to be overturned
From CNN’s Morgan Rimmer and Piper Hudspeth Blackburn
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell reacted to former President Donald Trump’s guilty verdict late Thursday night, saying in a social media post that he expects the conviction to be overturned on appeal.
Trump and McConnell have a strained relationship. CNN reported in January that the two hadn’t spoken in more than three years.
McConnell, who will step down as the Senate’s Republican leader in November, endorsed Trump in March, shortly after the former president dominated races across the country.
Trump’s attorney says it was very hard for the former president to get a fair trial in New York
From CNN’s Kaanita Iyer
Donald Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche repeated the claim that the former president faced an unfair trial, arguing that Manhattan is an unfavorable jurisdiction.
“We were indicted for conduct that happened in 2015, ’16, ’17, in a jurisdiction that it was very hard for us to get a fair trial,” Blanche told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on “The Source.”
Blance also attempted to contrast the case from others brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office.
“The district attorney has said it repeatedly — said it today — ‘this is a bread and butter case, we do this all the time.’ That is not true,” Blanche said. “It may be that they bring these types of charges regularly, business record charges, but you cannot find another case … in the history of that office where they did what they did here.”
Michael Cohen says he’s “relieved” and was not surprised by Trump guilty verdict
From CNN’s Celina Tebor
Michael Cohen, speaking after Donald Trump’s guilty verdict Thursday, said he was “relieved” and wasn’t surprised by the verdict.
“This has been six years in the making,” he told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow.
When Maddow asked if he was surprised by the verdict, Cohen said: “No. I was not.”
“At the end of the day, the facts are what prevailed here,” Cohen said. “It’s accountability, it’s exactly what America needs right now.”
Cohen praised the judge and prosecutors for their work and said he stayed off social media in respect for the judge and the process.
He said he faced difficulty dealing with the anxiety of the trial.
“I was nervous because so much was riding on the result of this, and I wanted to ensure that my testimony was perfect. I knew that there could be no deviation from perfection,” he said.
Cohen called Todd Blanche, Trump’s attorney, a “SLOAT” – stupidest lawyer of all time. During his closing arguments, Blanche had called Cohen a “GLOAT” – the greatest liar of all time.
Biden fundraises off guilty verdict in Trump’s hush money case as GOP rushes to play defense
From CNN’s Eric Bradner and Clare Foran
Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump called attention to what’s at stake in November’s election in the moments after Trump’s conviction Thursday, as Republicans rushed to the former president’s defense.
“There’s only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: At the ballot box,” Biden wrote on social media, linking to a fundraising page.
Trump, while lambasting the prosecution in his New York hush money criminal trial as a “disgrace,” similarly pointed to this fall’s presidential election.
“The real verdict is going to be November 5 by the people. And they know what happened here, and everybody knows what happened here,” Trump told reporters outside the Manhattan courtroom.
News of Trump’s conviction on 34 felony charges of falsifying business records, sent shockwaves through campaigns up and down the ballot.
Republican candidates in races for governor, Senate and House largely aligned themselves with Trump, while Democrats largely avoided the specifics of the case but said justice had prevailed.
The former president’s allies on Capitol Hill were quick to rally around him, with top Republicans attacking the justice system in the wake of the verdict – while also highlighting the importance of the 2024 election and making fundraising appeals of their own.
Democrats, meanwhile, offered more muted reactions — and many didn’t comment at all in the immediate aftermath of the verdict. And some anti-Trump Republicans kept their distance from the former president Thursday.
The judge scheduled Trump’s sentencing for July 11. Here’s a look at the potential sentence he could face
From CNN staff
Judge Juan Merchan set Donald Trump’s sentencing date for July 11 at 10 a.m. ET.
A panel of New York jurors on Thursday found the former president guilty of all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records after deliberating for nearly 12 hours over two days.
Not only is Trump the first former president to be found guilty of a felony, but he’s also the first major-party presidential nominee to be convicted of a crime in the midst of a campaign for the White House. And if he defeats President Joe Biden in November, he will be the first sitting president in history to be a convicted felon.
The July 11 sentencing hearing happens just days before the start of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
While prison time is a possibility, the judge is not required to sentence Trump to jail. Merchan could sentence Trump to probation or a sentence of up to 4 years on each count in state prison, with a maximum of 20 years.
Here’s a further breakdown of the potential sentence Trump could face:
- The maximum penalty for each count of falsifying business records is four years in prison, the judge has discretion over how long any prison sentence for each count should be, and whether the sentences would run consecutively (one after another) or concurrently (at the same time).
- Even if the judge orders the sentences to be served consecutively, New York law caps total sentencing for this type of low-level felony at 20 years.
- The judge may also consider imprisoning him for a period that is a fraction of the maximum penalty.
- But it’s entirely possible the judge could forego prison entirely and sentence him to probation and/or a fine, especially in light of the nonviolent nature of the charges and because the former president does not have a criminal record.
CNN’s Kristina Sgueglia, Jeremy Herb, Laura Dolan, Kara Scannell and Lauren del Valle contributed reporting to this post.
McConnell, known for having strained relationship with Trump, has yet to comment on the verdict
From CNN’s Morgan Rimmer and Piper Hudspeth Blackburn
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has still not commented after former President Donald Trump was found guilty on all charges in the hush money trial.
The three senators who have declared their candidacy for McConnell’s leadership position next Congress — Sens. John Thune, John Cornyn and Rick Scott — have all condemned the verdict.
Trump and McConnell have a strained relationship. CNN reported in January that the two hadn’t spoken in more than three years.
McConnell, who will step down as the Senate’s Republican leader in November, endorsed Trump in March, shortly after the former president dominated races across the country