The Trump Family Reactions To Donald's Guilty Verdict Are As Salty As We'd Expect
The verdict has been reached in Donald Trump's hush money trial and his family and allies are absolutely seething.
Over the last couple months, the former U.S. president has been busy with his high-profile court case regarding his alleged $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election. Throughout the proceedings, Donald has remained steadfast that he was innocent, describing the whole ordeal as a "scam trial." "If you read all of the legal pundits, all of the legal scholars today, there's not one that I see that said, this is a case that should be brought or tired," he said on April 15, per The Guardian. However, on May 30, 2024, following 16 days of witness testimonies and 9.5 hours of deliberation, the jury found the former reality TV star guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records.
Trump is now the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a crime. Unsurprisingly, the controversial figure was quick to discredit the verdict, telling reporters outside the courtroom, "This was a disgrace. This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt." (via YouTube). Toward the end of his statement, Trump maintained his innocence before hinting at his decision to pursue an appeal. "This is long from over," he said.
Of course, "The Apprentice" host wasn't the only one upset over the jury's decision. Shortly after the verdict was announced, an array of Trump's family members and allies came out in his defense on social media, and boy, were they angry.
Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump try to shift attention to 2024 election
Shortly after his father's guilty verdict was announced, Donald Trump Jr. took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to fire off a handful of very angry tweets. "Such bulls**t," his first post read, before he returned with another tweet accusing the Democratic party of succeeding in making America a "third-world s**thole." In an additional statement, Donald Jr. took aim at his father's sentencing date, which is taking place on July 11, 2024. "Sentencing is 4 days before the GOP convention... they're not even trying to hide the ELECTION INTERFERENCE!!!!" he wrote. Toward the end of his X rant, he encouraged his followers to shift their focus to the 2024 presidential election, adding, "Help us fight back against Biden's corrupt election."
Donald Jr.'s impassioned feelings were also shared by his younger brother Eric Trump who wrote on his own X account, "May 30th, 2024 might be remembered as the day Donald J. Trump won the 2024 Presidential Election." Meanwhile, Ivanka Trump remained relatively mum, posting nothing more than a throwback photo to her Instagram Stories of her in Donald's arms with "I love you dad" written across the bottom.
Lastly, Lara Trump and Kimberly Guilfoyle showed support for the conservative figure, with the former quoting her father-in-law and tweeting the link to his presidential campaign website on her X profile. "They're not coming after me, they're coming after you, I'm just in the way." — Donald J. Trump," she wrote. Guilfoyle echoed similar sentiments on Instagram, writing, "The only verdict that matters is at the ballot box on November 5th. Stand with President Trump!"
Republican figures describe verdict as shameful
Donald Trump's family weren't the only ones to express their anger over the jury's verdict. In a statement, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson claimed the decision was a political exercise and not a legal one. "Today is a shameful day in American history," he said, per WBSU. Like Donald Trump Jr., Johnson painted the Democratic party as the villain, adding, "The weaponization of our justice system has been a hallmark of the Biden Administration, and the decision today is further evidence that Democrats will stop at nothing to silence dissent and crush their political opponents."
GOP senators like Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham also expressed their disbelief over the verdict, on X, formerly known as Twitter. "This is a dark day for America ... this disgraceful decision is legally baseless and should be overturned promptly on appeal," Cruz claimed. In a separate tweet, Graham wrote, "The verdict says more about the system than the allegations. It will be seen as politically motivated and unfair, and it will backfire tremendously on the political left."
While Donald has been slapped with a guilty verdict, the jury is still out on the type of punishment he'll receive from Judge Juan Merchan. In a statement to ABC News, legal expert and defense lawyer Dan Horwitz speculated that the former reality TV star could be sentenced to either no jail time or the maximum, which is four years per felony count. "So he could sentence him to a period of months in jail, he could sentence him to a period of weeks in jail," he explained.