Trump pitches himself as crypto president with $12m San Francisco tech fundraiser: Live updates

Donald Trump brought in a haul of $12m at a San Francisco fundraiser hosted by tech venture capitalists Chamath Palihapitiya, David Sacks, and his wife Jacqueline. The cryptocurrency community was well represented at the event given the perceived hostility to the sector by Democrats and the Biden administration.

The judge presiding over Trump’s hush money trial has alerted prosecutors and defense counsel about a Facebook comment from an apparent social media troll announcing a conviction one day before a jury handed down a guilty verdict. The comment has since been deleted.

A brief letter from New York Justice Juan Merchan on Friday tells the parties that the court “became aware of a comment” from a user named “Michael Anderson” that states: “My cousin is a juror and says Trump is getting convicted … Thank you folks for all your hard work!!!!”

This week Trump also took part in a wild interview with TV psychologist Dr Phil in which the Republican presidential candidate proclaimed that “sometimes revenge can be justified” as he looked ahead to a theoretical second term in the White House.

Dr Phil largely adhered to Trump’s conspiracy-laden point-of-view allowing false claims to pass unchecked, particularly regarding his recent conviction.

Now that Donald Trump is a convicted felon, there is a possibilityhe could go to prison – and top Republicans have privately said they’re preparing for the chance that he is in jail during the Republican National Committee (RNC) convention.

Just four days before the convention is set to take place, Trump will be sentenced in New York by Justice Juan Merchan who oversaw the hush-money trial. The former president could face jail time, probation, fines or other forms of punishment.

Ariana