Trump speech live updates: Former president and convicted felon speaks at press conference after guilty verdict (2024)

Former president and convicted felon Donald Trump is speaking at a press conference at Trump Tower following his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records.

The press conference is taking place where Trump launched his 2016 campaign when he descended his golden escalators in June 2015, and a couple of months later conspired to unlawfully influence the outcome.

He’s now proclaiming his innocence from the same atrium where he announced he was running.

Trump insisted on Thursday that he’s “a very innocent man” after the jury at his New York hush money trial found him guilty on all of the counts he faced, making him the first American president in history to be convicted of a crime.

The defendant sat emotionless as the jury delivered its unanimous verdict, convicting Trump of falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 payment made to the p*rn star Stormy Daniels on his behalf in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election in order to buy her silence over a sexual encounter she claims they had a decade earlier, which Trump denies.

Key Points

• Trump found guilty on all 34 charges at New York hush money

• Presidential candidate rails against verdict as ‘a disgrace’ and claims US is ‘going to hell'

• Trump rants on Truth Social and promises his own press conference

• Michael Cohen celebrates guilty verdict

• What prison sentence could Trump face?

Watch live: Trump speaks after criminal conviction in hush money trial

15:06 , Holly Patrick

Warning: This livestream has not been independently fact-checked and may contain misinformation.

Watch live as Donald Trump speaks at a news conference in New York City on Friday, 31 May, following his criminal conviction in a hush money trial.

Trump says he ‘wanted to testify'

16:14 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump yet again called the judge in his hush money case “highly conflicted” before going on to say he “wanted to testify.”

“I would have testified, I wanted to testify. The theory is you never testify because as soon as you testify for anybody, if it were George Washington – don't testify because they'll get you on something that you said slightly wrong, and then they sue you for perjury,” he said. “But I didn't care about that, I wanted to.”

Trump blames ‘sick people’ for his conviction at post-trial press conference

16:10 , Gustaf Kilander

Former President Donald Trump is speaking at a press conference after his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records.

He said those behind his conviction were “sick people.”

“We have a president and a group of fascists that don't want to do anything about it,” he added. “He could stop it. But he's not, they're destroying our country.”

Piers Morgan defends Trump after ‘shameful’ trial verdict

16:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Rather less happy with the news, and once more attempting to re-establish a degree of relevance in America he has not enjoyed for some years, the British conservative broadcaster has also contributed his two cents.

Jacob Stolworthy has this one.

Piers Morgan defends Trump after ‘shameful’ trial verdict

Trump to speak from venue where he announced 2016 campaign

15:55 , Alex Woodward

The Trump press conference is taking place where Trump launched his 2016 campaign when he descended his golden escalators in June 2015, and a couple of months later conspired to unlawfully influence the outcome.

He’s now going to proclaim his innocence from the same atrium where he announced he was running.

PHOTOS: Opponents and supporters of Donald Trump gather outside Trump Tower

15:53 , Gustaf Kilander

Elon Musk backs Trump and says ‘great damage’ has been done to faith in US justice system

15:40 , Joe Sommerlad

The great genius of our time speaks.

‘I don’t understand what’s happened to the minds of the sane Republicans'

15:26 , Alex Woodward

Wendy Sacks walked by the crowd outside Trump Tower at the intersection of 5th Avenue and 57th Street muttering “mother******.”

“I’m just livid that this criminal is being given this honor,” she said, gesturing at the MAGA flags and supporters on the other side of a barricade.

“I don’t understand what’s happened to the minds of the sane Republicans.”

The 30-year Manhattan resident is running an errand and the obstacle course of barricades around the blocks messed up her route.

“I resent on account of this one individual I have to walk one, two, three blocks out of my way to accommodate his blarney and shenanigans.”

After yesterday’s verdict, “I couldn’t be prouder to be a New Yorker.”

PHOTOS: Trump supporters gather outside Trump Tower ahead of press conference

15:21 , Gustaf Kilander

‘Is this the moment Trump’s popularity bubble bursts? Don’t bet on it…'

15:20 , Joe Sommerlad

He has reached the highest echelons of office by defying political gravity – but, after being found guilty on 34 felony charges, will the former president finally come crashing back down to Earth?

Jon Sopel explains why yesterday’s verdict may not end up making a jot of difference come November.

Is this the moment Trump’s popularity bubble bursts? Don’t bet on it…

Speaker Johnson says Supreme Court should ‘step in'

15:13 , Gustaf Kilander

House Speaker Mike Johnson has said that he believes the Supreme Court should “step in” following the guilty verdict of former President Donald Trump on 34 counts in his hush money trial.

“I do believe the Supreme Court should step in,” he said on Fox & Friends on Fox News on Friday morning. “I think they’ll set this straight but it’s going to take a while.”

Speaking about the justices, he said: “I know many of them personally, I think they’re deeply concerned about” the faith in the American justice system.

Hillary Clinton releases ‘she was right’ mug immediately after Trump’s conviction

15:00 , Joe Sommerlad

You didn’t think you’d get through the whole day without hearing from Hillary did you?

Here’s Sinead Butler for Indy100.

Hillary Clinton releases 'she was right' mug immediately after Trump's conviction

More reporters and pedestrians than Trump supporters at Trump Tower ahead of press conference

14:54 , Gustaf Kilander

The Independent’s Ariana Baio is at Trump Tower ahead of the former president’s press conference. With just over an hour to go until Trump’s 11am press conference, there are more reporters and pedestrians present than Trump supporters.

One woman spotted wearing a Trump flag was one of few Trump backers in the area.

'Now it’s Trump vs the American justice system… but who will voters support?’

14:40 , Joe Sommerlad

When the former president was found guilty on all counts on Thursday, he described the verdict as “rigged” and raged against the “conflicted” judge.

He is unlikely to go to prison but it is the American voters who will ultimately deliver the final verdict, writes Mary Dejevsky.

Now it’s Donald Trump vs the American justice system – but who will voters support?

Donald Trump's media stock makes comeback ahead of news conference

14:25 , Gustaf Kilander

After a downturn of more than six percent following his guilty verdict on Friday, shares in former President Donald Trump’s social media company rose in pre-market trading.

Shares in Trump Media & Technology, the parent company of the Truth Social platform, were recently up by about two percent.

The stock went public in late March of this year and has since been erratic.

Trump Media shares down more than 6% after hush money guilty verdict

14:20 , Joe Sommerlad

Oh oh.

Here’s Josh Marcus on the market reaction to the Trump verdict.

Trump Media shares down more than 6% after hush money guilty verdict

MTG posts upside-down flag moments after Trump conviction

14:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Georgia populist Marjorie Taylor Greene posted a picture of an upside-down flag in response to Trump’s conviction.

The gesture has become a symbol for the “Stop the Steal” movement that the former president’s supporters brandished at the US Capitol on January 6.

It’s also the same symbol that was spotted at Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s home in Virginia three years ago, which was recently brought to the public’s attention, sparking a controversy and calls for his resignation.

MTG posts upstide flag moments after Trump conviction

Time magazine posts new cover following Trump verdict

13:40 , Joe Sommerlad

Very nice indeed.

Here’s a telling look at how some of America’s biggest newspapers led the front page this morning.

Republican VP hopeful Tim Scott flounders on CNN when confronted with Trump revenge plan

13:20 , Joe Sommerlad

South Carolina senator turned Trump booster Tim Scott struggled to defend the former president’s threats of revenge on CNN on Thursday night in conversation with Abby Phillip.

Here’s our report.

Republican VP hopeful flounders on CNN when confronted with Trump revenge plan

Kimmel mocks guilty Trump: ‘Jury spanked him harder than Stormy’

13:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Only Cohen and Daniels might have enjoyed yesterday’s news more than the late-night host.

Here’s Kevin EG Perry on Jimmy Kimmel’s latest opening monologue.

Jimmy Kimmel mocks Trump after guilty verdict: ‘Jury spanked him harder than Stormy’

Sarah Palin denies Trump civil war comments in fiery GMB clash: ‘Don’t put fake news on me’

12:40 , Joe Sommerlad

The former governor of Alaska denied previously saying the country would go to a civil war if Trump was convicted during a heated clash on Good Morning Britain today.

Sarah Palin denies Trump civil war comments in GMB clash: ‘Don’t put fake news on me’

Trump defense lawyer gives confusing answer over why he didn’t call witnesses to back ex-president

12:34 , Joe Sommerlad

Todd Blanche could only offer a rather garbled explanation when asked on CNN last night about the former president’s complaint earlier this week that certain witnesses had not been called to appear at his New York hush money trial.

Speaking in the aftermath of that verdict, Blanche, who led the cross-examination of Michael Cohen on the witness stand and delivered his side’s closing argument on Tuesday, was grilled by anchor Kaitlan Collins about Trump’s gripe to reporters that “key witnesses” had not been summoned.

Collins named the defendant’s former bodyguard Keith Schiller and the ex-Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg as two examples and asked why Blanche did not call on them to make an appearance in Judge Juan Merchan’s courtroom.

Here’s our report on his response.

Trump defense lawyer gives confusing answer over why he didn’t call witnesses

Ivanka Trump breaks silence after father’s criminal conviction

12:20 , Joe Sommerlad

The former first daughter, who also served as a special advisor during Trump’s time in office, posted a heartfelt message on her Instagram shortly after her father was found guilty on Thursday.

Unlike her siblings Don Jr, Eric and Tiffany, she did not once appear at Manhattan Criminal Court to support the defendant.

Here’s Mike Bedigan on what she has to say now.

Ivanka Trump breaks silence after father’s historic criminal conviction

Robert De Niro reacts to Trump’s guilty verdict

12:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The legendary actor, who showed up at court this week, sparred with MAGA meatheads and got labelled a “wacko” by the defendant for his trouble, has offered his thoughts on the verdict.

Lydia Spencer-Elliott reports.

Robert De Niro reacts to Donald Trump’s guilty verdict

Michael Cohen welcomes Trump guilty verdict: ‘Exactly what America needs’

11:40 , Joe Sommerlad

‘Orange is the new guilty:’ The best Trump memes following his conviction

11:20 , Joe Sommerlad

Always lightning quick, the mighty Greg Evans of Indy100 has already rounded-up all the latest Trump memes as social media relishes an opportunity to gloat.

'Orange is the new guilty:' The best Trump memes as he's convicted for all 34 counts

One in six voters say Trump verdict could change their minds ahead of tight election

11:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Around one in six voters said that a guilty verdict in Trump’s hush money trial will make them less likely to vote for him in November, according to a new poll.

Gustaf Kilander digs into the numbers.

One in six voters say Trump verdict could change their minds, poll finds

In pictures: Trump’s appearance after the guilty verdict

10:30 , Joe Sommerlad

‘Trump is now a convicted felon. That will actually matter in November'

10:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The Republican has spent his entire life evading consequences, but his luck has finally run out, Andrew Feinberg writes.

Trump is now a convicted felon. That will actually matter in November

Biden campaign says convicted felon Trump must now be stopped at the ballot box

09:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Donald Trump is now a convicted felo, but President Joe Biden’s campaign is harbouring no illusions as to whether it will affect who it squares off against in this November’s presidential election.

In a statement issued not long after a New York City jury convicted Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records, Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler said the verdict against the felonious ex-president vindicated the American system of justice.

“In New York today, we saw that no one is above the law,” he said.

“There is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box.

“Convicted felon or not, Trump will be the Republican nominee for president.”

Don Jr rages against Trump guilty conviction: “Such bulls***”

09:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The former president’s eldest son has raged against the Manhattan jury that found his father guilty on all counts in the hush money case.

“Such bulls***,” the younger Trump fumed.

Eric Garcia reports.

Don Jr rages against Trump guilty conviction: “Such bulls***”

Watch: Manhattan District Attorney reacts after Trump found guilty in hush money trial

08:30 , Mike Bedigan

Trump rants on Truth Social and promises his own press conference

08:15 , Mike Bedigan

Here are the full 34 charges against Donald Trump

08:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Read all of the charges against the former convicted president here:

The full 34 charges against Donald Trump

Tucker Carlson predicts Trump will now win election ‘if he’s not killed first’

07:45 , Mike Bedigan

Disgraced former Fox News host Tucker Carlson predicted that Donald Trump, now a convicted felon, will win the 2024 presidential election - if he isn’t killed first.

“This won’t stop Trump,” Mr Carlson wrote on X, following the verdict on Thursday afternoon.

Katie Hawkinson has the full story here:

Tucker Carlson predicts Trump will now win election ‘if he’s not killed first’

Stormy Daniels ‘very emotional’ after Trump verdict says lawyer

07:30 , Mike Bedigan

On Thursday following the verdict, Stormy Daniels’ attorney, Clark Brewster, told Anderson Cooper: “[Ms Daniels] did her duty and came to court and told the truth.”

He added: “You could feel in the courtroom this was a diligent, informed jury and you have to respect that and compliment them on their work.”

Barrett Blade, Daniels husband, also told CNN that his wife was still processing the verdict.

“She was brought into this. This wasn’t her seeking justice for herself. She was standing up for herself early on and saying what was right, but this whole hush money trial is really nothing … it’s not her story,” he said.

He added: “Hopefully people will finally start seeing the truth and if they do, they do, if they don’t, they don’t. I don’t know that that ever changes.”

Ms Daniels did not issue a public statement following the verdict, and Mr Brewster said that he had not spoken with his client about Trump’s sentencing.

Trump supporter not worried about November election despite trial verdict

07:15 , Mike Bedigan

“Jim” (fake name) from Flatbush

“I will very much be voting for Trump in November. And as I said to a previous reporter, I will only be voting Republican for the rest of my life.”

Are you upset? Are you angry? Are you sad?

“It’s funny I should be seething angry. I’m sad for the country, but I also know that there’s a high likelihood Trump does win in November. So I’m kind of like reserving my anger as they would say, you know, you can only be so angry for so long.”

Watch: Trump makes history as first criminally convicted former US president

07:00 , Mike Bedigan

Could Trump pardon himself if he wins in November?

06:45 , Mike Bedigan

Get the answer from The Independent’s Gustaf Kilander:

Could Trump pardon himself if he wins in November?

Will Donald Trump go to prison?

06:30 , Mike Bedigan

The question on everyone’s lips.

Read more below:

Will Donald Trump go to prison?

Public reaction outside court

06:15 , Mike Bedigan

Members of the public, some whom support Donald Trump and some who do not, shared their reactions to the historic trial with The Independent outside court.

DVS 7.0 (real name Shaun) is a Christian rapper and Trump supporter

“What a tragedy. But at the same time, excited for what’s coming after this because we’re going to see a brand new red wave. They just strengthen the, they just strengthen the base. They just told people like me and everyone here that we’re all the same. He’s just like one of us.

Ben Guthrie, a 75-year-old retiree. Holding a sign saying GUILTY

“I have a lot of admiration for the courage of the jurors. It was not an easy thing. He’s as threatening as he is to everybody who stands up to him and all those jurors were incredibly courageous. And I was also impressed with how careful they were arriving at the verdict.”

Donald Trump Jr is not happy with the verdict...

06:00 , Mike Bedigan

ICYMI: Reaction outside courthouse after Trump found guilty in hush money trial

05:45 , Mike Bedigan

Courtroom sketches: Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial

05:30 , Mike Bedigan

ICYMI: Robert De Niro clashes with pro-Trump protesters outside hush money trial: ‘It’s a coward’s violence’

05:15 , Mike Bedigan

Prior to Donald Trump’s conviction on Thursday, his supporters clashed outside the court with a surprise celebrity guest – Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro.

Read more here:

Robert De Niro clashes with pro-Trump protesters outside hush money trial

Trump claims ‘real verdict’ will be in November

05:00 , Ariana Baio

Shortly after the jury returned the verdict on Thursday, Donald Trump gave a brief statement, railing against the judge and the Manhattan district attorney and claiming the entire trial was “rigged” against him by the Biden administration.

“I am a very innocent man,” Trump said in the hallway of the courthouse.

Trump repeated many of the same accusations and excuses he has voiced throughout the six-week-long trial – that he is innocent, the trial is rigged, the judge was “conflicted” and more.

“We have a country that’s in big trouble, but this was a rigged decision right from day one, with a conflicted judge who should have never been allowed to try this case,” Trump said.

The convicted former president claimed the “real verdict” would come November when the country votes for the next president.

“And we’ll keep fighting we’ll fight till the end and we’ll win because our country has gone to hell. We don’t have the same country anymore. We have a divided mess. We’re a nation in decline, serious decline, millions and millions of people pouring into our country right now, from prisons and from mental institutions terrorists, and they’re taking over our country,” Trump said.

RFK weighs in on verdict

04:45 , Mike Bedigan

Read the full statement by Robert F Kennedy Jr, following the guilty verdict in the Trump trial:The Democratic Party’s strategy is to beat President Trump in the courtroom rather than the ballot box. This will backfire in November.

Even worse, it is profoundly undemocratic. America deserves a President who can win at the ballot box without compromising our government’s separation of powers or weaponizing the courts.

You can’t save democracy by destroying it first. The Democrats are afraid they will lose in the voting booth, so instead they go after President Trump in the courtroom. I’m also running against President Trump in this election.

The difference is I’m challenging him on his record. His lockdowns during Covid. His atrocious environmental record. His cozy relationship with corporate America. His support for the war machine. His failure to root out waste and corruption in Washington.

His service to the billionaire class. His bloating of the national debt. These are the issues that shape American lives. I’ll challenge him on these things, but the Democrats won’t. You know why? Because they pursue the very same policies.

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg thanks ‘everyday’ jurors for their role in historic trial

04:30 , Mike Bedigan

At a press conference following the historic verdict, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg who brought the charges against Donald Trump, praised the 12 New Yorkers who had served on the jury.

“The 12 everyday jurors vowed to make a decision based on the evidence and the law and the evidence and the law alone. Their deliberations led them to a unanimous conclusion beyond a reasonable doubt: that the defendant, Donald J Trump is guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree to conceal a scheme to corrupt the 2016 election.”

He added: “While this defendant may be unlike any other in American history, we arrived at this trial and ultimately today at this verdict in the same manner as every other case that comes to the courtroom doors.

“By following the facts and the law. And doing so without fear or favor.”

Trump’s legal team will ‘vigorously fight’ against unfair trial

04:17 , Shweta Sharma

Donald Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche has denounced the trial as unfair and said they will “vigorously fight” against it with motions that are due in a few weeks, according to CNN.

“There was so much publicity around the witnesses and around – leading up to the trial that our system of justice isn’t supposed to be a system where every person who walks into the courtroom knows about the case,” he told the outlet.

He said that if their fight is not successful, the legal team will appeal following the sentencing in July.

“Every single person on the jury knew Donald Trump as president, as candidate, from ‘The Apprentice’ so I don’t accept that this was a fair place to try President Trump,” Mr Blanche said.

“The law says a person is entitled to a fair trial in front of a jury of their peers and we just think that because of everything around the lead up this trial, it made it very difficult for the jury to evaluate the evidence kind of independent of what they knew coming in,” Mr Blanche said.

Stormy Daniels was ‘very emotional’ after Trump verdict, lawyer says

04:15 , Mike Bedigan

Stormy Daniels was “very emotional” after Donald Trump was convicted on all 34 counts at his criminal hush money trial in New York, both her lawyer and her husband told CNN on Thursday.

Ms Daniels played a central role in the case – the hush money payments that Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid to her were a key part of the evidence in convicting the former president.

Read more here:

Stormy Daniels was ‘very emotional’ after Trump verdict, lawyer says

Melania Trump and son Barron in New York City, report says

04:01 , Shweta Sharma

The wife of Donald Trump, Melania Trump, and their son, Barron Trump, are in New York, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.

It was not immediately clear when they arrived but the two were in the city when Trump was handed a guilty verdict by the court on Thursday.

The former first lady, however, was not present at the fundraiser dinner event with Trump at a private residence last night in New York City.

Trump campaign already using guilty verdict to boost donations

04:00 , Mike Bedigan

Donald Trump’s campaign are already using his guilty verdict in New York to push for fundraising for his presidential campaign.

Barely 15 mins after the guilty verdict was returned, an email from the Trump campaign appeared in subscriber inboxes.

“I was just convicted in a RIGGED political witchhunt trial: I DID NOTHING WRONG,” the email read.

“They’ve raided my home, arrested me, took my mugshot AND NOW THEY’VE JUST CONVICTED ME! But with your support at this moment in history, WE WILL WIN BACK THE WHITE HOUSE AND MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.”

Ivanka Trump breaks silence after father’s historic criminal conviction: ‘I love you dad’

03:50 , Mike Bedigan

The former first daughter, who also served as a special advisor during Trump’s time in office, posted a heartfelt message to her Instagram shortly after her father was convicted in New York on Thursday.

Read more here:

Ivanka Trump breaks silence after father’s historic criminal conviction

Biden-Harris campaign statement following Trump verdict

03:45 , Mike Bedigan

The Biden-Harris campaign released a statement following Donald Trump’s historic guilty verdict, saying that the convicted former president must now be defeated “at the ballot box”.

The statement from comms director Michael Tyler read: “In New York today, we saw that no one is above the law.

“Donald Trump has always mistakenly believed he would never face consequences for breaking the law for his own personal gain. But today’s verdict does not change the fact that the American people face a simple reality.

“There is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box.

“Convicted felon or not, Trump will be the Republican nominee for president. The threat Trump poses to our democracy has never been greater. He is running an increasingly unhinged campaign of revenge and retribution, pledging to be a dictator ‘on day one’ and calling for our Constitution to be ‘terminated’ so he can regain and keep power.

“A second Trump term means chaos, ripping away Americans’ freedoms and fomenting political violence – and the American people will reject it this November.”

In case you missed it (though how could you?): Trump makes history as first criminally convicted former US president

03:30 , Mike Bedigan

Donald Trump has been found guilty of falsifying business records as part of a conspiracy to corruptly influence the 2016 presidential election, marking the first-ever criminal conviction of an American president, who will now campaign once again for the White House as a convicted felon and fraud.

The former president – who refused to testify in his own defense – could be sentenced to up to four years in jail and face thousands of dollars in fines.

Alex Woodward reports:

Trump makes history as first criminally convicted US president after hush money trial

In pictures: Support still strong for Trump back in Florida

03:15 , Mike Bedigan