As it happened: Former US president Donald Trump convicted on all 34 counts, faces up to four years’ prison over hush money scheme

• The lawyer for Stormy Daniels said she was “pretty emotional” following Trump’s convictions. Clark Brewster told CNN: “We have to respect that no man is above the law, and we have to respect the system.”

• Trump’s convictions divided politicians in Washington DC. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, said on social media it was a “shameful day in American history”. “This was a purely political exercise, not a legal one ... President Trump will rightfully appeal this absurd verdict – and he WILL WIN!” Johnson said.
• President Joe Biden urged his supporters to donate to his campaign, saying on X: “There’s only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: At the ballot box.” His communications director Michael Tyler said in a statement: “Convicted felon or not, Trump will be the Republican nominee for president.”
• Enraged Trump supporters have flooded pro-Trump websites with calls for riots, revolution and violent retribution.
• At home, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese emphasised the strength of Australia’s ties with the US, but said: “As prime minister of Australia, it’s important that I not only not interfere in the elections of another country, but that I’m also not seen to be interfering in the election.”

Enjoy the rest of your evening.

In a contest shaping up to be very close in Pennsylvania and a handful of other swing states that decide US elections, the loss of even a small number of voters like Brown could be the difference between victory and defeat.

While a guilty verdict was partly baked into expectations for the race, it still poses some risk for the Trump campaign, according to Chris Nicholas, a Republican strategist in Pennsylvania.

“In swing states – Pennsylvania, Michigan, perhaps a few others – if a couple of per cent move one way or the other, that can be determinative,” he said, adding that some Republicans may now “leave the ballot blank for president or vote for Biden.”

Fifine Holva, a 65-year-old payroll specialist with a drug manufacturing company, says she will vote for Trump a third time regardless of whether he was convicted, deeming Biden’s policies on immigration and the economy a bigger risk.

“I’m not condoning his actions while he was married by any stretch,” Holva said in an interview two days before the verdict was announced. “I’m voting for his policies. To get this world back to some kind of normalcy.”

Reuters

“There is nobody who is more defiant,” said Trump spokesman Jason Miller on Fox News hours after the verdict was read. “He’s ready to get out there and start fighting again.”

His top aides on Wednesday released a memo in which they insisted a verdict would have no impact on the election, whether Trump was convicted or acquitted.

Following the guilty verdict, which nonetheless landed with a jolt, Trump campaign spokesman Brian Hughes echoed Trump when he said:

“November 5th is the day Americans will deliver the real verdict!”

It is unclear, however, how much Trump’s schedule will ramp up in the days ahead. He held only a handful of public campaign events as the trial unfolded, despite the fact that he had Wednesdays, as well as evenings and weekends, to do what he wished.

He’s set in the upcoming two months to have his first debate with Biden, announce a running mate and formally accept his party’s nomination at the Republican National Convention.

But before he goes to Milwaukee for the RNC, Trump will have to return to court on July 11 for sentencing. He could face penalties ranging from a fine or probation up to four years in prison.

AP

On Gateway Pundit, one poster suggested shooting liberals after the verdict. “Time to start capping some leftys,” said the post. “This cannot be fixed by voting.”

Threats of violence and intimidating rhetoric soared after Trump lost the 2020 election and falsely claimed the vote was stolen. As he campaigns for a second White House term, Trump has baselessly cast the judges and prosecutors in his trials as corrupt tools of the Biden administration, intent on sabotaging his White House bid. His loyalists have responded with a campaign of threats and intimidation targeting judges and court officials.

“This was a disgrace, this was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt,” Trump told reporters afterwards, echoing comments he often made during the trial.

A 12-member jury found Trump guilty of falsifying documents to cover up a payment to silence a porn star’s account of a sexual encounter ahead of the 2016 election. Sentencing is set for July 11, days before the Republican Party is scheduled to formally nominate Trump for president ahead of the November 5 election. Trump has denied wrongdoing and is expected to appeal.

Reuters

“You cannot listen to your client when you are trying to create a defence, a defence that is as important as this one is.”

Cohen was once one of Trump’s closest advisers, and was the one to pay Stormy Daniels to cover up the story of her affair with the now former president ahead of the 2016 election.

The heart of the trial focused on falsified business records that aimed to cover up Trump’s reimbursements of Cohen for the payments.