What it was like inside the courtroom when Donald Trump was found guilty of 34 felonies

CNN —

Before the historic and unprecedented guilty verdict was delivered against Donald Trump on Thursday afternoon, the former president appeared to be the most relaxed he’d been since his hush money trial began in April.

Trump was smiling and laughing with his attorney, Todd Blanche, as they waited for Judge Juan Merchan to announce the jury was heading home for the day.

With Trump and prosecutors assembled, Merchan returned to the bench at 4:13 p.m. ET to let the parties know that he planned to send the jury home for the day in about 15 minutes. The judge left the courtroom, and Trump, his lawyers and the prosecutors remained behind to wait for the end of the day.

Former President Donald Trump appears in Manhattan Criminal Court, Thursday, May 30, 2024, in New York. Jury deliberations in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial enter a second day as jurors navigate the weighty task of evaluating the former president's guilt and innocence alongside the facts of the case. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, Pool)

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But everything changed when the judge re-entered the courtroom at 4:36 p.m. with a stunning note: The jury had reached a verdict.

The jury needed 30 minutes to fill out the forms, leaving Trump and the attorneys sitting in the courtroom until the judge and jury returned. They mostly sat still while waiting, occasionally making small talk amongst themselves.

When the judge returned to the bench, he warned the parties and the audience against “reactions” or “outbursts of any kind” before the jury entered.

The six alternates entered and sat in the first row of the gallery, behind prosecutors. The 12 jurors took their seats in the jury box. A clerk