Trump rails against 'rigged' conviction as campaign rakes in donations after guilty verdict

Progressive megadonor George Soros's son and heir to his enterprise advised Democrats on Friday to emphasize former President Trump's status as a "convicted felon," after he was found guilty by a New York jury on charges filed by a district attorney that the powerful Soros family helped elect.

"Democrats should refer to Trump as a convicted felon at every opportunity," Alexander Soros wrote on X.

"Repetition is the key to a successful message and we want people to wrestle with the notion of hiring a convicted felon for the most important job in the country!" Soros said.

The Soros family has bankrolled campaigns of prosecutors across the country blamed for being lax on crime.

Fox News previously reported that George Soros gave Color of Change PAC $1 million in 2021, which spent a significant sum in support of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's candidacy.

Fox News Digital reviewed campaign finance records that showed his son and daughter-in-law Jonathan and Jennifer Allan Soros donated directly to the then-candidate's campaign.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Julia Johnson

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, warned on Friday that former President Trump's legal issues are a "distraction" and have given the Biden campaign a "free pass."

"Yesterday, a New York jury found former president Trump guilty of falsifying business records. This is the first step in the legal process. The former president has the right to appeal and I fully expect him to exercise that right," she said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Trump was found guilty by a New York jury of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree on Thursday after two days of jury deliberations.

"It is a shame that this election has focused on personalities and legal problems rather than a debate about policies that would lift up Americans," she said. "These distractions have given the Biden campaign a free pass as the focus has shifted from Biden’s indefensible record and the damage his policies have done to Alaska and our nation’s economy, to Trump’s legal drama."

"A Republican nominee without this baggage would have a clear path to victory," she said.

Democrats facing the most competitive Senate elections heading into November have kept relatively quiet on the guilty verdict handed to former President Trump on Thursday as they fight off the potential for Republicans to flip their seats.

Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Bob Casey, D-Penn., didn't respond to the news of Trump's conviction on Thursday night or Friday morning, while their colleagues on both sides of the aisle sounded off.

Trump was found guilty by a New York jury on 34 counts of falsifying business records, which he did to cover payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels that were made after an alleged affair with her.

Montana, Ohio, and Nevada are home to the most competitive Senate races in the country, according to non-partisan political handicapper the Cook Political Report, in which incumbent Democrats contend with a real risk of losing their seats, in addition to the Senate majority.

"Senator Tester respects the judicial process and believes everyone should be treated fairly before the courts, and voters will have the opportunity to make their voices heard at the ballot box in November," a Tester spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Friday afternoon.

"Every American, even a former president, is subject to the rule of law and must be held accountable for criminal actions," said Rosen in a statement. "A jury has made its decision, and I respect our legal system and the outcome of this fair and impartial process."

In her own statement, Baldwin told Fox News Digital, "Donald Trump had his day in court. A jury of his peers saw that there was evidence beyond a reasonable doubt he was guilty. No one, including a former president, is above the law."

National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesperson Mike Berg slammed the senators' mild responses, saying in a statement to Fox News Digital, "All of these Democrats endorsed Joe Biden, who is leading this witch hunt, so it's clear they support his legal warfare against President Trump. Democrat Senator Jon Tester even advocated for physical violence against President Trump, so his refusal to embrace the verdict is very surprising."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Julia Johnson

Americans are reacting to the guilty verdict against former President Donald Trump, with some conservatives in New York City saying it would make them more likely to vote for him, with liberals saying justice needs to be done.

"I didn't like Trump in the beginning but I saw what he did for the country," one young woman told Fox News' Bryan Llenas. "It's way better than what we're doing now."

She also said the verdict was motivating her to vote for him in November.

"Its a sham, but the real verdict will be on Nov. 5," one Trump supporter said. "That is when the real verdict will happen."

Meanwhile, one woman who is a regular liberal activist dismissed questions about whether it would help Trump in the upcoming presidential contest.

"The truth is I don't think that we can think about that...we have to pursue justice," she said, before joining in a chant on "No-one is above the law" with other activists.

Republican senators signed a public letter to the White House on Friday, vowing to prevent the upper chamber from accomplishing anything — from appropriations to confirmations — in the wake of former President Trump's guilty verdict.

"As a Senate Republican conference, we are unwilling to aid and abet this White House in its project to tear this country apart," read a letter led by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.

On Thursday, Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying documents to cover up payments made to former porn star Stormy Daniels, a woman with whom he allegedly had an affair in 2006.

The lawmakers laid out that they will no longer allow the Senate to run smoothly, by confirming President Biden’s nominees or allowing Congress to move forward with funding for the next fiscal year.

"Strongly worded statements are not enough. Those who turned our judicial system into a political cudgel must be held accountable. We are no longer cooperating with any Democrat legislative priorities or nominations, and we invite all concerned Senators to join our stand," Lee announced on X.

Sens. JD Vance, R-Ohio; Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.; Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.; Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.; Rick Scott, R-Fla.; Roger Marshall, R-Kan.; Marco Rubio, R-Fla.; Josh Hawley, R-Mo.; and Ron Johnson,R-Wisc., joined Lee in stating they will refuse to allow any increases for funding that are unrelated to security.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Julia Johnson

Ohio Republican Sen. JD Vance said Friday that Democrats "cooked up" the trial against former President Donald Trump in an effort to "distract from their failures as a governing party."

"The Democrats cooked up this sham prosecution so they could distract from their failures as a governing party, and I just don't think the American people are gonna go for it," Vance said during an appearance on Fox News Channel's "The Story."

Vance said he was unsure if President Biden was "directly involved" in the Trump trial, but noted that he was "indirectly involved.

"I don't know if he was directly involved in it, but we know he was indirectly involved in it because the number three person at the Department of Justice left the DOJ to join the New York prosecutor's office and actually go after Donald Trump."

Vance, who sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland earlier this week requesting an investigation into the gag order of Trump, also insisted that voters are "desperate" for elected Republicans to push back on the Democrats' agenda.

"Voters are so desperate for people to fight back against this lawfare and that's exactly what it is, they don't just want us to write letters, they don't want us to just criticize, as important as that is, they actually want us to do something," Vance said.

"I think what a lot of us are saying is, look, if they're gonna try to throw Donald Trump in prison, we're taking the gloves off and we're fully pushing back against their agenda at all levels," he continued. "Now, of course, the agenda itself is a disaster and it is telling that Joe Biden is not talking about lowering inflation because he can't. He's not talking about securing the border because he can't."

Judge Jeanine Pirro said Friday that the conviction of former President Donald Trump in the New York trial gives prosecutors leeway to go after "whomever they want" to now.

"You've got tens of thousands of prosecutors in this country who now know they have the green light to go after whomever they want to in terms of political prosecution," Pirro said during an appearance on "America Reports."

Pirro, a co-host of Fox News Channel's "The Five," said Trump's conviction was a "gut punch" to many Americans, adding, "We do not do this to candidates who are running for president."

"I don't wanna hear you're not above the law, you're not below the law. I mean, we all argue that in normal cases," she continued. "You have a man who's a former president who's running for president being prosecuted, literally, by a progressive DA..."

Pirro also outlined what she believes is next for Trump in terms of his sentencing and appeal.

"The sentencing will occur on July 11, and, of course, the defense has the opportunity to say in front of Judge Juan Merchan to make a post conviction motion that the evidence is contrary, the verdict is contrary to the evidence. I mean, that's not going anywhere. We obviously know that," Pirro said.

"Once the sentencing occurs, they can appeal and they can appeal to appellate court to try to stay that sentencing until the appeal has been ended or perfected," she added. "The appellate division handles it first, of course, and it will take probably six months to a year, and then probably the court of appeals."

President Biden took heat Friday for his strange response to a question about his political rival's historic criminal conviction following remarks from the White House, flashing what some called an "evil" grin.

Biden, 81, said Friday after former President Donald Trump was found guilty in his New York criminal trial "he'll be given the opportunity, as he should, to appeal that decision, just like everyone else has that opportunity." Biden added that it was "reckless, it's dangerous, it's irresponsible for anyone to say this was rigged just because they don't like the verdict."

As Biden walked away from the podium, a reporter shouted out a question: Donald Trump refers to himself as a political prisoner and blames you directly. What's your response to that sir?"

The president paused, turned to the reporters and flashed what some called a "disturbing" smile for almost 10 seconds before walking away, not offering a verbal response.

"Do you think a conviction will have an impact on the campaign?" the reporter pressed, without a response from the president.

Sage Steele, a former ESPN reporter, reacted to the video on X, saying "Honestly, I rarely use the word evil to describe another human being but….."

Amber Duke, an editor for The Spectator, posted similarly on X, "The President of the United States' disturbing reaction to being asked if Trump is a political prisoner and if he is responsible for Trump's criminal conviction."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Brianna Herlihy

A CNN legal analyst is causing a stir with a new article claiming that the charges on which former President Donald Trump was convicted are "nearly entirely unprecedented."

Elie Honig, a former state and federal prosecutor and a legal analyst for CNN wrote in New York Magazine, in a piece called "Prosecutors got Trump -- But they also contorted the law" about his issues with the case.

"The judge donated money — a tiny amount, $35, but in plain violation of a rule prohibiting New York judges from making political donations of any kind — to a pro-Biden, anti-Trump political operation, including funds that the judge earmarked for 'resisting the Republican Party and Donald Trump’s radical right-wing legacy.' Would folks have been just fine with the judge staying on the case if he had donated a couple bucks to “Re-elect Donald Trump, MAGA forever!”? Absolutely not," he writes.

"Most importantly, the DA’s charges against Trump push the outer boundaries of the law and due process. That’s not on the jury. That’s on the prosecutors who chose to bring the case and the judge who let it play out as it did.”

"The charges against Trump are obscure, and nearly entirely unprecedented. In fact, no state prosecutor — in New York, or Wyoming, or anywhere — has ever charged federal election laws as a direct or predicate state crime, against anyone, for anything. None. Ever. Even putting aside the specifics of election law, the Manhattan DA itself almost never brings any case in which falsification of business records is the only charge."

As of early Friday afternoon, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has not commented on the criminal conviction of former President Donald Trump

Haley's social media accounts have made no mention of the conviction as of early Friday afternoon and neither she, nor her representatives, responded to Fox News Digital's repeated requests for comment.

While Haley has been active on social media, sharing updates about her visit to Israel on her X account, she has made no mention of Trump's conviction.

Trump and Haley's strong working relationship deteriorated after Haley entered the 2024 GOP primary field despite previously saying she would not, which the former president took issue with during the campaign multiple times.

Despite the shots taken at Trump, Haley ultimately came out and endorsed Trump this month.

"I will be voting for Trump," Haley said during an event at the Hudson Institute in Washington.

Meanwhile, amid Haley's silence, Republicans have rushed to his defense, as support for the former president continues to pour in on social media.

Read the full report by Fox News' Andrew Mark Miller and Brandon Gillespie here.

Fox Business host Lisa "Kennedy" Montgomery said Friday she believes former President Donald Trump should have been more "disciplined" during his Trump Tower remarks, insisting the verdict in his New York trial ushered in a "new phase of the campaign" that he needs to reflect to voters.

"I actually thought his speech today was less disciplined than it should have been because we're in a completely new phase of the campaign, and this is a moment where a lot of people who are on the fence are looking to him for his reaction," said Kennedy, the host of "Kennedy" on Fox Business Network.

"He's been so disciplined throughout the trial, I think he could've used more of that today," she added. "He was a little bit repetitive, went on a little longer than he should have, but he touched on some really key issues that have turned people who maybe couldn't stand his personality four years ago ... very curious."

Kennedy said Trump's fighting "against a machine that has put so many people in prison and so many people in jeopardy."

"Right now, we are in the sugar-high, the liberal sugar-high, in the wake of the verdict coming out yesterday," she added.

As Republican lawmakers weigh holding hearings to scrutinize prosecutors in the New York v. Trump trial, the Senate's top Democrat is pleading with allies of former President Trump to let the legal process play out as the former president looks to appeal his guilty verdict.

"The undeniable fact is Donald Trump went through the same legal process that all Americans go through, he was tried according to the facts and the law, and he was found guilty by a jury of his peers," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement Friday.

"He’s now a convicted felon," the New York Democrat added.

Trump vowed to appeal the verdict in remarks to the press in New York City on Friday morning.

"As Donald Trump considers his next steps within the legal system, there should continue to be no outside political influence, intimidation, or interference. I encourage Mr. Trump’s supporters and critics alike to let the process move forward according to the law," said Schumer.

Schumer's second statement on the Trump verdict, the first of which came on X on Thursday night, followed House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan's demand that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and prosecutor Matthew Colangelo appear next month for a hearing regarding "the unprecedented political prosecution of President Trump."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Julia Johnson

Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson called conviction of former President Donald Trump "nakedly political" and a "machine-gun mob-style hit-job," predicting that it would and make a victory in November and "more likely, not less."

"Every time that jury foreman pronounced the word 'Guilty' in the Manhattan court on Thursday, he should by all normal logic have been dealing a death-blow to Donald Trump's hopes of regaining the White House. He said it not just once but 34 times," Johnson wrote in a column published in the Daily Mail.

"This was no ordinary political assassination. This was a machine-gun mob-style hit-job on Trump," he said. It was HISTORIC, they all said. HISTORIC. Because there was now a real chance that Trump could actually be incarcerated – at the crucial moment in the Presidential election, when he is nailed on as the Republican candidate," he continued.

"Surely no one would vote for a convicted felon – let alone one who might actually begin his term of office in the New York correctional facility in Sing Sing. Surely this was the end of his poll lead, they said.Surely this was the end of his run altogether..."

"And then the first poll appeared," Johnson continued. "To the evident amazement of the pundits it appeared that most voters were indifferent to the verdict – by quite a large majority. But at least in the poll I saw there was an astonishing 15 per cent who were now more likely to vote for him, after the conviction, than they were before."

"The Left-liberal lawyers have been immensely foolish. They have been using the very techniques – confected legal proceedings – that are used by tyrannical governments around the world to keep their opponents tied up and unable to contest elections," he added.

"By pursuing these cases, they have helped to make his victory more likely, not less," he said.

Former President Donald Trump's Republican presidential primary opponents offered a variety of reactions to the guilty verdict in his New York City trial, ranging from blasting Democrats for pursuing the charges against him to complete silence.

The jury found Trump guilty Thursday on all 34 counts of falsifying business records related to the hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the lead up to the 2016 presidential election.

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott posted a video of himself on X blasting what he called a "hoax," a "sham" and evidence of an "obsolete injustice justice system."

"DA Bragg and the judge should be ashamed of themselves. This isn't just ridiculous, this actually erodes the confidence that Americans have in the justice system. Unbelievable," Scott said.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum wrote, "This verdict is a travesty of justice. The judge was a Biden donor. The prosecutors were Biden supporters. This Lawfare should scare every American. The American people will have their say in November," while entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy predicted the trial's outcome would ultimately backfire, referencing District Attorney Alvin Bragg's promise to "nail Trump," and Judge Juan Merchan's daughter being a "Democratic operative."

Former Vice President Mike Pence told Fox News Digital Trump's conviction was "an outrage and disservice to the nation."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote, "Today’s verdict represents the culmination of a legal process that has been bent to the political will of the actors involved: a leftist prosecutor, a partisan judge and a jury reflective of one of the most liberal enclaves in America — all in an effort to 'get' Donald Trump." 

Conservative commentator Larry Elder called the verdict an "outrage" and declared that "a monster has been unleashed."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Brandon Gillespie

Tech entrepreneur and free speech advocate Elon Musk will hold a live video town hall event with former President Donald Trump after he was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying businesses records on Thursday.

Citing an individual familiar with the plans, the Wall Street Journal, the first outlet to report on Musk's town hall event with the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, reported that X is "joining with the television network NewsNation to air" presidential candidate town hall events live on both platforms.

X users will reportedly be able to submit questions for the candidates, and so far X is only planning such events for presidential candidates.

"This will be interesting," Musk remarked of the town hall in a Friday morning post to X.

A jury found Trump guilty on all counts after two days of deliberations in his New York criminal trial on Thursday.

Trump was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to payments to Michael Cohen, who had paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 ahead of the 2016 election.

Musk reacted to Trump's conviction in a post to X early Friday morning, writing, "Indeed, great damage was done today to the public’s faith in the American legal system."

"If a former President can be criminally convicted over such a trivial matter – motivated by politics, rather than justice – then anyone is at risk of a similar fate," he added.

The Wall Street Journal reported that President Biden's re-election campaign declined the invitation to appear for a town hall with Musk. A similar event is reportedly being planned with independent presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr.

Trump's sentencing hearing on the charges is scheduled for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Liberal actor Robert De Niro will no longer receive a coveted National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) award after he unleashed an anti-Trump tirade outside the 45th president’s Manhattan trial this week.

 The NAB was set to honor De Niro with its prestigious NAB Leadership Foundation’s Service to America Award next week. But the "proudly bipartisan" group rescinded the accolade after De Niro attended a Biden-Harris press conference and slammed former President Trump as a "danger" to Americans who "wants to destroy" New York City and the nation.

 "This event is proudly bipartisan, uniting those from across the political spectrum to celebrate the impactful work of local broadcasters and our partners," an NAB spokesperson told The Hill. 

Read the full story from Brian Flood here.

The Biden-Harris 2024 campaign responded Friday to former President Donald Trump's "unhinged" speech from Trump Tower, accusing him of being "confused" and "desperate" while "sowing chaos".

“America just witnessed a confused, desperate, and defeated Donald Trump ramble about his own personal grievances and lie about the American justice system, leaving anyone watching with one obvious conclusion: This man cannot be president of the United States," Biden-Harris 2024 Communications Director Michael Tyler said in a statement. "Unhinged by his 2020 election loss and spiraling from his criminal convictions, Trump is consumed by his own thirst for revenge and retribution. He thinks this election is about him. But it’s not. It’s about the American people: lowering their costs, protecting their freedoms, defending their democracy."

“That’s what Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are fighting for. Donald Trump is sowing chaos, attacking the rule of law, and fighting for the only thing in the world he gives a damn about: Donald Trump.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Friday that there's "good reason" for voters to be motivated following the conviction of former President Donald Trump in New York, saying the "entire thing is absurd."

"This entire thing is absurd," Johnson said during an appearance on "Fox and Friends" Friday morning. "I'm a lawyer. I was a litigator for 20 years. I was in court with President Trump a few weeks ago to see this for myself. What happened there was outrageous, and you're right, the American people see it."

"This is a purely political exercise, not a legal one. Everybody knows that, they know intuitively that it's wrong and the people are outraged," he added.

Johnson, who noted he's been traveling to different states throughout the country in recent days, said, "I'm telling you guys, something is happening out there."

"People see what's going on, they see that the Democrats are so desperate because President Trump is crushing Joe Biden in the polls. They see the Democrat Party and the left so desperate to stop him that they'll risk the destruction of our entire legal system to do it," he said. "That's not hyperbole. That's what's going on here."

Johnson also noted that Republicans "broke records" on their fundraising platforms after Trump was found guilty by the jury on Thursday.

The speaker also touted a new website where people can support the former president, saying it's how members in Congress will "stand" with Trump and "make sure the right verdict is rendered Nov. 5.

Trump was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to payments to Michael Cohen, who had paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 ahead of the 2016 election.

Trump's sentencing hearing on the charges is scheduled for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.