President Joe Biden wasted no time in fundraising off the guilty verdict in former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial, while top congressional Republicans rushed to Trump’s defense. Following Trump’s conviction, Biden emphasized the importance of the 2024 presidential election and urged supporters to donate to his campaign in order to keep Trump out of the Oval Office. The Manhattan jury found Trump guilty on all 34 charges of falsifying business records, marking him as the first former president in American history to be convicted of a felony and the first major-party presidential nominee to be convicted of a crime during a White House campaign. If Trump defeats Biden in November, he will become the first sitting president in history to be a convicted felon.
The verdict in the hush money trial came after nearly 12 hours of deliberation over two days by the jury. Following the announcement, Trump maintained his innocence, claiming, “We didn’t do anything wrong. I’m a very innocent man.” He criticized the trial as rigged and disgraceful, attacking the presiding judge and the prosecutor who brought the case. Meanwhile, Trump’s allies in Congress quickly rallied around him, with top Republicans condemning the justice system in the wake of the verdict and stressing the importance of the upcoming election. House Speaker Mike Johnson decried the “weaponization of our justice system” and pledged that Trump would appeal the verdict and emerge victorious.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise also stood with Trump, vowing not to allow the leader of their party to be ambushed by the government. He urged supporters to join him in condemning what he called a witch hunt and included a link to a fundraising site. Rep. Elise Stefanik, the House GOP conference chair, labeled the trial a “sham” and emphasized the need to work tirelessly to ensure Trump’s victory in November and save America from what she described as Biden’s failed Far Left Democrat agenda. The response from Trump’s allies on Capitol Hill underscored the intense partisan divisions surrounding the case and the upcoming election.
Biden, on the other hand, focused on the importance of the ballot box in the battle to keep Trump out of the presidency. He made an appeal for donations to his campaign, asserting that winning the 2024 election was the only way to prevent Trump from returning to the Oval Office. Biden’s message highlighted the stark differences between the two parties and the high stakes involved in the election. With Trump’s historic conviction as a backdrop, the political landscape was set for a fierce and contentious campaign as both sides mobilized their supporters and fundraising efforts in the aftermath of the trial.
The guilty verdict in Trump’s hush money trial marked a significant moment in American political history, with the former president becoming the first in multiple categories to be convicted of a felony. This unprecedented outcome added fuel to the already intense partisan divisions in Washington, as Trump’s allies rallied to his defense and Democrats like Biden emphasized the need to prevent his return to power through the ballot box. With the 2024 election looming large, the battle lines were drawn, setting the stage for what promised to be a highly contentious and closely watched campaign season. The fallout from the trial underscored the deep political polarization gripping the nation and foreshadowed a fiercely fought battle for control of the presidency and the direction of the country.
