Jurors found former President Trump guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records, making him the first former president to be convicted of a felony.
The jurors reached a verdict in the late afternoon, after less than 12 hours of deliberation in the hush money criminal case.
The 12 New Yorkers on Trump’s jury reached a unanimous decision on his fate, eliminating the possibility of a hung jury.
Trump faced 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment his ex-fixer, Michael Cohen, made to porn actor Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to keep secret her alleged affair with Trump a decade prior until after votes were cast. Trump denies the affair and pleaded not guilty.
Trump on Thursday insisted he is a “very innocent man” after the verdict in his hush money trial, vowing he will “keep fighting.”
“This was a rigged, disgraceful trial. The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people, and they know what happened here, and everybody knows what happened here,” Trump said outside the courtroom shortly after the verdict was read.
Trump’s fundraising page crashed shortly after he was convicted.
Follow below for live updates.
Bragg won’t talk about sentencing
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) at a Thursday press conference declined to say whether prosecutors will seek jail time for former President Trump after he was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal an affair.
Asked about seeking jail time for Trump, Bragg said prosecutors would speak through their court filings in the coming weeks.
— Lauren Sforza
Thune: Trump case ‘politically motivated from the beginning’
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), the No. 2 member of leadership and a top contender to replace Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) atop the conference, said that the case was “politically motivated” and looked ahead to the November election as the chance to boot President Biden from office.
“This case was politically motivated from the beginning, and today’s verdict does nothing to absolve the partisan nature of this prosecution,” Thune said. “Regardless of outcome, more and more Americans are realizing that we cannot survive four more years of Joe Biden. With President Trump in the White House and a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate, we can finally end the disastrous Biden-Schumer agenda that’s crushing American families and businesses.”
— Al Weaver
Trump adviser slams Hogan’s verdict remarks
Former President Trump’s adviser Chris LaCivita blasted former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), who is running to become one of the state’s next senators, after remarks he shared in the lead-up to the verdict in the former president’s hush money case.
Minutes before Trump, the Republican presumptive nominee, was found guilty on all 34 felony counts in the Manhattan hush-money case, Hogan shared a Thursday post on the social media platform X, saying that “regardless” of the outcome, Americans should respect the legal “process” and the verdict.
In a little more than an hour, LaCivita, a veteran consultant, who has been overseeing day-to-day operations of the Republican National Committee (RNC) since March, fired back at the former governor, saying “You just ended your campaign.”
— Filip Timotija
Former Michael Cohen legal adviser weighs in
Lanny Davis, a former legal adviser to Michael Cohen said, “Justice system works. Whether acquittal or guilt. Rule of law matters more than verdict.”
Cohen had been the prosecution’s star witness in the case, having took the stand for days under questioning and cross-examination.
— Ella Lee
Trump would lack pardon power over NY case
Former President Trump would regain pardon power if he wins the White House in November, but that would not help him overturn his conviction in New York in his hush money trial.
Trump was found guilty Thursday on all 34 counts of falsifying business records, making him the first former president to be convicted of a felony. Trump is likely to appeal the ruling, but if the conviction stands, reelection would do little to wipe away the guilty verdict.
— Brett Samuels
Sharpton invokes Central Park 5 in response to Trump guilty verdict
As a New York jury found former President Trump guilty of 34 felony counts on Thursday, the Rev. Al Sharpton said his thoughts were with the Central Park 5.
Trump’s trial, which began in April, took place in the same courthouse where the five Black and Brown boys were tried and wrongfully convicted of raping and murdering a white woman in 1989. A judge vacated the convictions in 2002.
“This is the same building that Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise all passed into, day after day, as they endured a show trial for a crime they did not commit,” Sharpton said in a statement. “These children had to hear vitriol from people whose anger was incited by a man who spent a small fortune on full-page ads calling for their execution. Now the shoe is on the other foot. Donald Trump is the criminal, and those five men are exonerated. I’m reminded of Dr. King’s proverb that the arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice.”
— Cheyanne M. Daniels
Senate Republicans pan Trump convictions
Senate Republicans on Thursday widely panned the guilty verdict against former President Trump for falsifying business records, arguing that it was a “disgrace,” a “sham” and that the true verdict will come in November.
Republicans wasted no time laying into the decision after a jury found Trump guilty of all 34 counts. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who is looking to succeed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in the top spot next year, called on Republicans to rally around the former president.
“This verdict is a disgrace, and this trial should have never happened,” Cornyn wrote on social platform X. “Now more than ever, we need to rally around @realdonaldtrump , take back the White House and Senate, and get this country back on track. The real verdict will be Election Day.”
Sen. John Barrasso (Wyo.), the No. 3 Senate Republican, accused the Biden administration of “weaponizing” the judicial system against the presumptive GOP presidential nominee.
— Al Weaver
Trump to be sentenced 4 days before RNC
Trump’s sentencing after his guilty verdict is scheduled for July 11.
That date is only four days before the Republican National Convention in which he is expected to formally become the party’s nominee for president — setting up another historic scenario.
Trump’s donation page crashes
Trump’s donation webpage crashed shortly after the verdict was read, with his campaign citing a massive influx of donations as the cause.
Trump’s page under WinRed, the official GOP fundraising site, said it was under maintenance.
“The American people see through Crooked Joe Biden’s rigged show trial,” Trump’s campaign posted on social platform X. “So many Americans were moved to donate to President Trump’s campaign that the WinRed pages went down. We are working on getting the website back online as quickly as possible.”
— Brett Samuels
Will Trump go to jail?
Former President Trump’s swift guilty verdict on 34 counts related to concealing hush money payments makes him the first president to be convicted of a felony, but it does not mean he is going to jail any time soon.
— Rebecca Beitsch
Cornyn: ‘The real verdict will be Election Day’
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who is running to replace Mitch McConnell (Ky.) as Senate GOP leader, called the verdict a “disgrace.”
This verdict is a disgrace, and this trial should have never happened. Now more than ever, we need to rally around @realdonaldtrump, take back the White House and Senate, and get this country back on track. The real verdict will be Election Day,” he wrote on social platform X.
Speaker Johnson predicts Trump victory in appeal of ‘absurd’ verdict
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Thursday blasted Donald Trump’s conviction in his New York hush money case, predicting that the former president will successfully appeal the “absurd” verdict.
“Today is a shameful day in American history,” Johnson said in a statement released minutes after Trump’s guilty verdict was read in court.
“The American people rightfully see this is lawfare, and they know it is—and dangerous,” he added. “President Trump will rightfully appeal this absurd verdict—and he WILL WIN.”
— Mychael Schnell
Trump says election will produce ‘real verdict’
Former President Trump insisted Thursday he is a “very innocent man” after a jury found him guilty on all 34 felony counts in his New York hush money trial, vowing he will “keep fighting.”
“This was a rigged, disgraceful trial. The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people, and they know what happened here and everybody knows what happened here,” Trump said outside the courtroom shortly after the verdict was read.
Read more about Trump’s reaction here.
— Brett Samuels
Crowd gathers outside courthouse
A crowd has gathered in the park outside the courthouse, with some cheering.
One protester is carrying a large sign that reads “TRUMP CONVICTED.”
Two helicopters are hovering in the area.
— Zach Schonfeld
Trump speaks outside court
Trump left the courtroom and spoke upon exiting, declaring the trial and the verdict “a disgrace.”
He said the “real verdict” would be in November, when voters head to the polls to elect the next president.
Trump vice presidential contenders blast verdict
Among the first Republicans to attack the verdict were some of the lawmakers who are on the shortlist to join Trump on the ticket in November.
“Today’s verdict shows how corrupt and rigged the American justice system has become under Joe Biden,” Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) said in a statement. “I fully support President Trump appealing this decision and look forward to the New York Court of Appeals delivering justice and overturning this verdict.”
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) called the verdict “a complete travesty that makes a mockery of our system of justice.”
“This isn’t justice, it’s election interference,” Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) posted on the social platform X.
— Brett Samuels
Trump leaves courtroom
The former president was excused and has left the courtroom.
— Zach Schonfeld
Sentencing date set
Sentencing was scheduled for July 11, the judge announced.
— Ella Lee
Judge denies Trump acquittal motion
The judge quickly denied the motion without explanation.
— Zach Schonfeld
Trump attorney moves for acquittal
Todd Blanche, Trump’s lead defense attorney, has made a motion for a judgment of acquittal in a long-shot effort.
“There’s no basis and no way this jury could have reached a verdict without accepting the testimony of Mr. Cohen,” Blanche said, referring to Michael Cohen, prosecutors’ star witness.
— Zach Schonfeld
Jury excused
The jury has been excused.
The jurors did not look at Trump as they exited, passing right in front of him. Some looked to the ground.
The former president stood up and faced straight ahead toward the jurors as they passed by.
— Zach Schonfeld
Trump campaign manager weighs in
“The FIX was always in…” Trump campaign co-manager Chris LaCivita posted on the social platform X after the former president was convicted on all 34 counts.
— Brett Samuels
Judge thanks jury
Judge Juan Merchan thanked the jurors for their service, noting they had been attending court for more than a month.
“You gave this matter the attention it deserved,” Merchan said.
He then told them his admonitions to not discuss the case during the trial no longer applies, and they can now discuss the case publicly.
“The choice is yours,” Merchan said.
— Zach Schonfeld
Trump guilty of counts 26-34
Jurors found Trump guilty on the final nine counts.
Counts 26, 29, 32: Michael Cohen’s invoices to the Trump Organization for October, November and December, each requesting $35,000.
Counts 27, 30, 33: General ledger entries showing $35,000 payments to Michael Cohen for each of the three months that were classified as a legal retainer.
Counts 28, 31, 34: Checks sent to Cohen from Trump’s personal account for each of the three months.
Trump guilty on counts 17-25
Jurors found Trump guilty on the next nine counts.
Count 17, 20, 23: Michael Cohen’s invoices to the Trump Organization for July, August and September, each requesting $35,000.
Counts 18, 21, 24: General ledger entries showing $35,000 payments to Michael Cohen for each of the three months that were classified as a legal retainer.
Counts 19, 22, 25: Checks sent to Cohen from Trump’s personal account for each of the three months.
Trump guilty on counts 8-16
Jurors found Trump guilty on the next nine counts.
Count 8, 11, 14: Michael Cohen’s invoices to the Trump Organization for April, May and June, each requesting $35,000.
Counts 9, 12, 15: General ledger entries showing $35,000 payments to Michael Cohen for each of the three months that were classified as a legal retainer.
Counts 10, 13, 16: Checks sent to Cohen from Trump’s personal account for each of the three months.
Trump guilty on counts 2-7
Jurors found Trump guilty on the next six counts.
Count 5: Michael Cohen’s March invoice to the Trump Organization requesting $35,000.
Counts 2, 3, 6: General ledger entries showing $35,000 payments to Michael Cohen for January, February and March 2017 that were classified as a legal retainer.
Counts 4, 7: Checks sent to Cohen from the Trump Revocable Trust, one to cover both January and February, and another for March.
Trump found guilty on first count
Donald Trump was found guilty on the first count of falsifying business records, making him the first former president to be convicted of a felony.
The other 33 counts are still being read.
— Zach Schonfeld
Judge calls for jury
The judge has called for the jury, and the packed courtroom is now awaiting its arrival.
— Zach Schonfeld
Judge in courtroom
Judge Juan Merchan has entered the Manhattan courtroom.
— Ella Lee