Trump responds to his guilty verdict by falsely blasting a ‘rigged trial’ and attacking star witness

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump attacked the judge and the star witness in his criminal hush money trial and again tried to undermine New York’s criminal justice system on Friday while seeking to turn his conviction on 34 felony charges into fuel — and not an impediment — to his bid to return to the White House.

Trump addressed reporters at his namesake tower in Manhattan Friday, returning to campaigning a day after he was convicted of trying to illegally influence the 2016 election by falsifying business records to hide money paid to a porn actor who claimed they had sex.

Donald Trump’s convictionon 34 felony counts marks the end of his historic hush money trial. But the fight is far from over. Here’s what to know.

• How did Trump respond? Trump falsely blasted a ‘rigged trial’ and attacked star witness in a speech on Friday. Follow the AP’s live coverage.
• When is the sentencing? July 11, just days before Republicans are set to pick Trump as the 2024 nominee.
• Can Trump vote? He may be convicted and reside in Florida, butcan still vote as long as he stays out of prison in New York state.
• Will this impact the election? It’s unclear whether Trump’s once-imaginable status as a person convicted of a felony will have any impact at all on voters.

The Republican ex-president, as defiant as ever, argued the verdict was illegitimate and driven by politics and sought to downplay the facts underlying the case.

“It’s not hush money. It’s a nondisclosure agreement. Totally legal, totally common,” he said.

In a message aimed to galvanize his supporters, he cast himself as a martyr, suggesting that if it could happen to him, “They can do this to anyone.”

He said he was “very honored to be involved” because “somebody has to it it.”