Plus, the former president’s strong words about his conviction.
Thursday was a historic day in America as Donald Trump became the first-ever president of the United States to be convicted of a felony when he was found guilty on all 34 charges in his hush money trial in New York.
After deliberating for only two days, the 12 jurors in the case announced to the judge around 4:30 p.m. Eastern that they’d reached a verdict. About a half hour later, Trump sat largely motionless as he was convicted on every charge in the trial that revolved around falsified business records, which covered up hush-money payments to the adult film star Stormy Daniels. The payments were made to buy Daniels’ silence about a sexual relationship with Trump, which he and his campaign endeavored to keep quiet in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election.
The trial was observed with bated breath by the nation, not only because of its historical significance but also because of how it might affect the presidential election in November when Trump will challenge President Joe Biden in an effort to take back the Oval Office.
As Trump himself said after the verdict was read, the case is far from over — he still needs to be sentenced, and his legal team is certain to appeal. Here’s what we know and what comes next.
When will Donald Trump be sentenced?
Judge Juan Merchan has scheduled a sentencing hearing for Trump that will take place on Thursday, July 11, at 10 a.m. Notably, that’s only a few days before the July 15 kickoff of the Republican National Convention, where Trump is scheduled to officially accept the party’s presidential nomination.
What will happen during this hearing is still unknown. Each felony conviction related to falsifying business documents could carry a sentence of up to four years in jail, which could potentially be served concurrently. He might also face a combination of fines and restitution, or be put on probation. The decision will come at the discretion of the judge, who can consider several factors, including the severity of the defendant’s conduct, his age and health, and whether he’s accepted responsibility for his actions.
Also top of mind, of course, is the fact that this particular defendant is a former president of the United States and an active candidate for that office. Judge Merchan has previously stated that he takes the idea of jailing Trump very seriously, given the implications of putting a presidential candidate behind bars.
“Mr. Trump, it’s important you understand, the last thing I want to do is put you in jail,” Merchan said during the trial, when Trump violated his gag order. “You are the former president of the United States and possibly the next president as well. There are many reasons why incarceration is truly a last resort for me. To take that step would be disruptive to these proceedings.”
The imprisonment of a former president would be unprecedented, and it would come with significant complications. Aside from the fact that Trump is in the midst of a national campaign, U.S. law dictates that Secret Service is required to protect him at all times, even if he were jailed. The New York Times reports that some informal conversations have already taken place about how that might work, but there’s no firm plan in place.
What did Donald Trump say after conviction?
Trump exited the courtroom shortly after the verdict was read and made brief comments to reporters outside, leading with some of his most commonly-used words regarding this trial, including “rigged,” “corrupt,” and “disgrace.”
“We didn’t do a thing wrong,” he said. “I’m a very innocent man.”
An appeal by Trump’s legal team is all but guaranteed at this point, and Trump indicated as such by adding that he plans to “keep fighting” the case, which he described as “far from over.”
Trump also took the opportunity to politicize the verdict, blaming President Joe Biden (whose administration, Trump said, pushed this case “in order to hurt a political opponent”) and digressing briefly into other complaints about the state of the union.
“This whole country’s gone to hell,” Trump said. “We don’t have the same country anymore. We have a divided mess. We’re a nation in serious decline. Millions and millions of people pouring into our country right now from prisons and mental institutions, terrorists, and they’re taking over our country. We have a country that’s in big trouble, but this was a rigged decision right from day one, with a conflicted judge that should have never been allowed to try this case.”
You can watch Trump’s full remarks here:
Can Donald Trump still vote?
Trump could soon join the millions of Americans who aren’t allowed to vote due to felony convictions.
Though he’s technically a Florida resident, the former president’s conviction in New York means he couldn’t vote in either state, since the Sunshine State defers to the laws of other states on this issue.
But this scenario is unlikely — under New York law, Trump could still cast a ballot in the upcoming election as long as he doesn’t go to jail. Convicted felons only lose their voting rights while incarcerated, and they get them back once they’re out. (The former president currently faces up to four years in prison on each count of business fraud, though it’s up to the judge whether that sentence is handed down.)
“The only way he wouldn’t be able to vote is if he is in prison on Election Day,” Attorney Blair Bowie told NBC News.
Even if Trump serves jail time, he could regain his voting rights by seeking clemency in Florida from Gov. Ron DeSantis, a fellow Republican.
How will this affect Trump’s presidential run?
Legal scholars agree that Trump’s conviction in New York won’t keep him from taking back the White House (if he’s elected, that is).
There are only three Constitutional requirements for being president: Candidates must be a natural-born citizen, at least 35 years of age, and have lived in the U.S. for 14 years. These rules include absolutely nothing about a felony conviction preventing a candidate from becoming president.
“The short answer is yes, that there’s no constitutional bar,” lawyer Corey Brettschneider told CBS News. “The Constitution lays out some specific requirements of what’s required … but there’s nothing explicitly in the Constitution about being convicted of a crime as a disqualification.”
Unrelated to this case, some states (like Colorado) have tried to disqualify the former president from the ballot under the 14th Amendment’s insurrection clause due to his actions surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. But, in March, the Supreme Court ruled that only Congress can enforce this provision.
What are the experts saying?
As soon as the verdict came down, our very own Katie Couric sprang into motion to get reactions from a group who’s been watching this trial very closely.
First up is Katie’s conversation with Lisa Ferri, a producer for Deadline White House with Nicolle Wallace who’s been in the courtroom during the proceedings:
Then Katie chatted with Neal Katyal, one of our go-to legal experts who’s argued in front of the Supreme Court:
And finally, Katie got another firsthand account of what it was like to witness Trump’s conviction from New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman:
