Washington
CNN
—
As Republicans rushed to the former president’s defense in the aftermath of Trump’s conviction on Thursday, both Joe Biden and Donald Trump called attention to what’s at stake in November’s election.
“The only way we can keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office is at the ballot box,” Biden wrote on social media, linking to his fundraising page.
While slamming prosecutors in the New York hush-money criminal trial as a “disgrace,” President Trump made similar remarks about this fall’s presidential election.
“The real verdict will be made by the American people on November 5th. The American people know what happened here, everybody knows what happened here,” Trump told reporters outside the Manhattan courtroom.
News that President Trump had been convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records sent shock waves throughout the campaign. Republican candidates running for governor, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives largely aligned themselves with President Trump, while Democrats said justice had prevailed, without going into the details of the case.
Donald Trump found guilty of falsifying business records in hush money scheme
The former president’s allies on Capitol Hill quickly rallied around him, with leading Republicans slamming the justice system in the wake of the verdict while also highlighting the importance of the 2024 election and making their own fundraising appeals.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, in a statement, condemned what he called the “weaponization of the justice system” and said, “President Trump will, of course, appeal this absurd verdict, and he will win.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise posted on social media: “I will not stand idly by while the leader of my party is being ambushed by my own government. Will you support President Trump and once and for all denounce this witch hunt by midnight tonight?” the Louisiana Republican said, linking to a fundraising site.
Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, chair of the House Republican Conference and a potential vice presidential nominee for Trump, denounced the trial as a “sham trial.”
“We must redouble our efforts and work around the clock to ensure President Trump wins in November and save America from Biden’s failed, far-left Democratic policies,” she said in a statement.
Republican Senate candidates endorse Trump
Republican Senate candidates were quick to align themselves with the former president.
Tim Sheehy, who is challenging Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat from Montana, released a statement declaring the verdict “unjust” and calling the case “state-sponsored political persecution.”
“The American people have just witnessed the most egregious election interference in the 246-year history of our republic and a blatant mockery of the rule of law,” said Republican Kali Lake, who is running against Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego in the Arizona Senate race. “This entire process that led to this verdict has been nothing less than a shameful political ploy.”
“This is a terrible day for America and for faith in our justice system,” said Dave McCormick, a Pennsylvania Republican challenging Democratic Sen. Bob Casey for the U.S. Senate. “This case should never have been filed in the first place and this false accusation is despicable.”
Democrats, on the other hand, had a more muted reaction, with many not commenting at all immediately after the verdict.
“I respect our judicial system and the rule of law. Justice will be served and we should always demand accountability from our elected leaders,” Gallego said on social media.
And some anti-Trump Republicans continued to distance themselves from the former president on Thursday.
Maryland Republican Senate candidate Larry Hogan, a long-time critic of Trump, called on Americans to “respect the verdict and the legal process.”
“At this dangerously divisive moment in our nation’s history, all leaders, regardless of party, should not add fuel to the fire with further poisonous partisanship,” the former Maryland governor said on social media.
Chris LaCivita, a senior adviser to Trump, responded to the post by saying, “You just finished campaigning.”
Trump is not only the first former president to be convicted of a felony, but also the first major party presidential candidate to be convicted of a crime while campaigning. If he defeats Biden in November, he will become the first sitting president in history to be convicted of a felony.
In a statement, the Biden campaign said the New York ruling showed that “no one is above the law.”
“Trump poses more of a threat to our democracy than ever before. He is waging an increasingly outrageous campaign of revenge and retaliation,” campaign spokesman Michael Tyler said. “A second term for Trump would mean chaos, curtailment of American freedoms and incitement to political violence, and the American people will reject it this November.”
Speaking to reporters before attending a cryptocurrency convention in Austin, Texas, independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who learned of the ruling, downplayed the significance of the case.
“I have refrained from commenting on trials, from speaking on issues that I believe are of serious concern to the American people. You know, I’m not going to talk about the culture war issues that are being used to divide us. I’m not going to comment on that,” Kennedy said.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Aaron Perrish, David Wright, Ali Maine, Kevin Liptak, Morgan Rimmer, Veronica Straqualusi, Matt Holt, Haley Talbot, Kristin Wilson and Lauren Fox contributed to this report.
