Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference, the day after a guilty verdict in his criminal trial over charges that he falsified business records to conceal money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, at Trump Tower in New York City, U.S., May 31, 2024.
Brendan Mcdermid | Reuters
Former President Donald Trump angrily denounced his criminal hush money trial in rambling remarks Friday, a day after a New York jury convicted him on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
Trump called the case “very unfair” as he cycled through many of his previously voiced criticisms of trial judge Juan Merchan, the prosecutors, witnesses, and the charges in Manhattan Supreme Court.
“These are bad people,” Trump told reporters at Trump Tower, where he launched his first Republican presidential campaign nine years earlier.
“This can’t be allowed to happen to other presidents,” he said. “It should never be allowed to happen in the future, but this is far beyond me.
“This is bigger than Trump, this is bigger than me, this is bigger than my presidency.”
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee spoke for about 33 minutes, then left without taking questions.
A 12-member jury on Thursday afternoon found Trump guilty on all charges in the case filed by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
The business records at issue with the case related to a scheme to cover up a $130,000 hush money payment Trump’s then-personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen made to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election to keep her quiet about an alleged one-night sexual tryst with Trump.
