Donald Trump has been found guilty on 34 charges of falsifying business records to hide a payment meant to silence porn star Stormy Daniels.
What were the charges?
Trump faced a total of 34 felony charges of falsifying business records. He denied all wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty.
At the heart of the case is a $130,000 payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels, in exchange for not going public about an alleged 2006 sexual encounter with Trump. Trump said he elected to paid the money despite Daniels trying to extort him based on what he said were false claims.
At issue in court, though, is how the payment was labeled as "legal expenses," in what the prosecution alleges was part of a broader conspiracy to hide the true nature of the transactions during the 2016 election campaign.
Trump's defense lawyers argued that the former president was not aware of any wrongdoing and that his focus at the time was often on other matters.
The star witness was Trump's own former legal fixer, Michael Cohen, who became a valuable witness for the prosecution after his 2018 conviction on charges of lying to Congress to protect Trump.
Sentencing set for July
Donald Trump's sentencing for falsifying business records will take place on July 11, it was announced on Thursday.
Judge Juan Merchan set sentencing for 10:00 am (1600 CEST) on July 11, just days ahead of the Republican convention which will take place between Monday 15 July and Thursday 18 July.
Trump is expected to be named the party's presidential nominee at the convention.
Trump's first comment after verdict
Upon walking out of the courthouse, former US President Donald Trump claimed that "this is a rigged trial. It's' a disgrace."
"The real verdict is going to be on November 5, by the people," he told reporters, referring to the upcoming US elections.
Trump said he was "an innocent man," and claimed that the administration of President Joe Biden was behind what he described as a "politically motivated" verdict.
Biden's campaign calls Trump 'convicted felon'
US President Joe Biden's reelection campaign called his Republican rival Donald Trump a "convicted felon," saying Thursday's verdict proved "no one is above the law."
Biden's campaign communications director, Michael Tyler, said: "There is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box."
The conviction does not stop Trump from running for the upcoming election.
'Important day for accountability,' says key witness Michael Cohen
Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, who was a key prosecution witness in the trial, hailed the verdict.
"Today is an important day for accountability and the rule of law," Cohen said on X, formerly Twitter.
"While it has been a difficult journey for me and my family, the truth always matters."
Cohen had testified that Trump approved a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election to buy her silence about an alleged past sexual encounter with Trump.
He said he handled the payment, and that Trump agreed on a plan to reimburse him through monthly payments disguised as legal work.
During the trial, Trump's lawyers took a hit at Cohen's credibility, highlighting his previous imprisonment.
Manhattan DA: Prosecutors followed law 'without fear or favor'
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the jurors made their decision based on "the evidence and the law alone," adding that prosecutors followed the facts and the law "without fear or favor."
Bragg noted that Donald Trump was not a usual defendant, but insisted that the verdict was reached in the "same manner as every other case that comes to the courtroom doors."
Protesters and supporters gather outside court
While Thursday's guilty verdict was handed down to Donald Trump, people gathered outside the court in New York.
Some people celebrated the verdict, journalists at the scene reported. One woman held up a sign reading "Trump convicted" while dancing.
One man's sign read "guilty" and another "lock him up." Some people were involved in intense discussions with Trump supporters.
Several members of the media and a large group of police officers were present.
No past president convicted of felony charges
It's the first ever criminal case against a former US president, albeit potentially thanks to Richard Nixon's pardon from his successor Gerald Ford after the Watergate scandal that toppled him.
It's also the first of several trials Trump faces, but the only one likely to be resolved ahead of the November 5 presidential election.
US laws and the constitution do not forbid somebody with criminal or other convictions from running for or being president. What impact the cases might have on Trump's image among voters is, however, another question.
How Republicans reacted to the verdict
Republican lawmakers reacted to Donald Trump's conviction with anger, and questioned the legitimacy of the trial and how it was conducted.
"The verdict in New York is a complete travesty that makes a mockery of our system of justice," Senator Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican who is a potential vice-president pick, posted on the social platform X.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican who is second in line to the presidency, called the trial "a purely political exercise, not a legal one," adding: "President Trump will rightfully appeal this absurd verdict and he WILL WIN!"
Ahead of the jury announcing a verdict, one Republican urged people to respect the legal process.
Larry Hogan, the former governor of Maryland who is now running for the Senate, wrote on X that "all leaders, regardless of party must not pour fuel on the fire with more toxic partisanship. We must reaffirm what has made this nation great: the rule of law."
Republicans are set to formally nominate Trump for president on July 15, just days after his sentencing date.
What happens next?
Donald Trump's lawyer, Todd Blanche, said the defense team was eying an appeal "as soon as we can."
In remarks to broadcaster CNN, Blanche hinted that Trump would push forward with post-trial motions and "if that is not successful, then as soon as we can appeal we will. And the process in New York is there's a sentencing, and then we appeal from there."
The sentencing is scheduled for July 11.
Anna Cominsky, a professor at New York Law School, told DW she expected to see motions filed by Trump's attorneys. "Basically asking for the court to overturn the jury's verdict. Those are rarely granted, but they are very common."
The falsifying business records charges carry up to four years in prison. But experts say his imprisonment is unlikely.
"It is more likely that he will get a sentence of something like probation or probation and a fine or probation and community service," Cominsky said.
