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  6. One has to hope he can’t keep his pie-hole shut, and says something sufficiently intimidating to warrant sanction, as otherwise these are apparently first offences, even if there are 34 of them, and with appeals and mendacious letters, this will be kicked down the road.

    Also got to hope this loses the remaining undecided in sufficient numbers for him to lose even more than he did in 2020. Im hoping his Barmy Army are fewer despite their noise, so there is less aggro, as er, aren’t people just a little bored of him now?

  7. Both teams of lawyers have approached the bench.

    Donald Trump continues to sit still with his lips pursed at the defence table alone.

    Trump’s team is requesting a date of mid-to-late July for sentencing because of a conflict with another court hearing in Florida.

    Prosecutors do not object.

    Sentencing will take place on 11 July at 10:00 local time (15:00 BST) and the court will order a probation report for Trump, Merchan says.

  8. Don’t let’s get too carried away. He’s been found guilty of accounting irregularities. I seem to recall somebody who conducted an illegal invasion of a foreign country resulting in thousands of deaths who still got re-elected two years later.

    We’re not shot of him yet, I’m afraid.

  10. He’s unlikely to go to jail, but one of the possible punishments is community service. I think we’d all enjoy that.

    But of course appeals and all the other folderol will snarl up the system for months. He’s probably counting on being elected in November so he can pardon himself.

  11. According to various polls, experts and reports, his supporter base will be more or less prepared for this and will gird themselves to even greater efforts to champion their hero. And he’s not wasting a second in asking for more of their cash.

    “Within a few minutes of being convicted, Donald Trump’s Truth Social account was posting fundraising requests.

    “I AM A POLITICAL PRISONER,” the post says, repeating a common accusation from Trump.

    “If you can afford to help me FIGHT BACK at this pivotal moment, please DONATE!” the link reads.

    His campaign has also sent out an email, which asks “Is this the end of America?”

    “I was just convicted in a RIGGED political Witch Hunt trial: I DID NOTHING WRONG!”

    The email also asks for campaign donations: “But with your support at this moment in history, WE WILL WIN BACK THE WHITE HOUSE AND MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

    Edit: He keeps banging on about this being a ‘witch hunt’. Does he think he is a witch now?

  12. On a legal note: “If it were just the falsifying of records issue, it would have been a misdemeanor, but because the conduct was connected to the attempt to fraudulently influence the election as a special circumstance it became a felony, and the jury understood it.”

    This was the leap the jury had to make, but was never a foregone conclusion. If he’d just falsified records, or had them falsified, it’s a relatively minor offence rated misdemeanour, for which he’d get a slap on the wrists. Because the prosecution, the jury, and the judge did their job, the Big Picture was clear as day.

    He can’t appeal until sentenced (July 11), and he has to convince a court, State or Federal, that an appeal is merited. It’s not automatic, and consensus seems to be it’ll be a tough sell for him at any level.

    Let’s not get too scared about what his base will do – they’ve been shown to be pitifully few and reticent to do anything more than stick a flag in their lawn recently.

    • Agree on the level of his fervent support. According to news footage I’ve seen, the only supporters he drew to the Courthouse yesterday were fervent and very odd cultists. Weeping on Trump flags and burning sage to ‘bring good vibes to the justice system’.

      I don’t think he’ll do any real porridge. Still it’ll be nice to hear the sentence. I shall think of him from now on as Norman Stanley Fletcher.

  13. This might be a bit like Al Capone getting done for tax dodging. BUT I DON’T CARE! Never have I wanted to see someone die in jail with his wealth vanished as much as I have here.

    Remind me how how much he owes in fines again? And a civil court already found him guilty of sexual assault?

    And THREE MORE CASES TO GO!

        • I don’t think it’s a done deal. Trump rips up rule books every day, so if senior Republicans decide that he’s a bad ‘un, then they could get behind someone else. That would almost certainly hand a victory to Biden but in all honesty I’m not sure many want to serve under Trump again.

  17. This won’t make one bit of difference to his supporters. It just plays into their beliefs. Remember, these idiots have already accepted him openly admitting to sexually assaulting women, to his ludicrous COVID predictions, to his blatant nepotism, claims of electoral fraud, inciting violence etc etc.
    For these people, the concept of Trump is bigger and more important than the reality.

    • I just read this in the FT

      “Polling about what impact a guilty verdict would have on voters has been mixed. In a NPR/PBS Marist survey released before the decision on Thursday, 67 per cent of respondents — including almost three-quarters of independents — said a conviction would not affect their vote.

      Yet 10 per cent of Republicans and 11 per cent of independents said a guilty verdict would make them less likely to vote for Trump: potentially enough to decide a tight race.”

      So pretty much what you suggest above, but there’s enough who could be swayed that could tip the vote.

  18. Am I remembering correctly that at previous presidential rallys his supporters chanted “lock him/her up”? The irony of Biden supporters doing the same would be delicious.

  20. Feel sorry for the Don – apparently the trial was “rigged”, and his team was treated unfairly by the judge.

    “We wanted a venue change, were denied… we wanted a judge change, we were denied,” he says.
    “We wanted a venue change, were denied… ,” he says.

    And even worse some of his defence witnesses were ‘literally crucified’ – like actually nailed to crosses outside the court !! No doubt whistling ‘Always look on the bright side of life’

  21. My favourite bit of his speech was when he claimed that he wanted to testify “but the theory is that you don’t testify because … they’ll get you on something you said slightly wrong, and then they sue you for perjury”.

    Yes, Donald. When you take the stand, you have to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. You can’t make stuff up off the top of your head like you normally do.

  23. It seems his polling has increased, and he’s raking in millions more campaign dollars.

    That may be so. Let him. He’ll just piss it all away again on legal fees, fines and whatever else he owes. He’s still going to die in prison, skint.

    • @Beezer

      Sadly, Orangey has an impressive history of not paying his attorneys.

      As for his ending up in chokey…

      While I join you in wishing he would get sent down, anyone who believes he has a realistic chance of facing anything more onerous than house arrest (and that’s the worst case scenario) is every bit as delusional than Trump himself.

      In the unlikely event he did get sentenced to gaol time, the appeals would drag on for years and pouring petrol on the hugely divisive bin fire that is the American political system

      As a state rather than federal case, the Georgia vote-rigging charges are
      far more serious as he can’t pardon himself if he becomes President.

      • I think you’re right as regards this case. Any of the other three pending, if they happen and I think at least one will, will send him to the Big House until he turns up his orange tootsies.

        He will appeal everything of course. However, in my opinion, I don’t think he’s going to win the forthcoming election. He will from that point and forever on be to all intents a private citizen and of no interest to the Republican Party as a candidate. They’’d drop him like a Boxing Day turd. As such he could be held in custody on remand while all his appealing is dealt with. Which could take months, even over a year. Remember he is now a proven and convicted felon.

        But he’s an ex-POTUS, you cry. Think of the shame and embarrassment to the US this sends to the world. Some pundits are floating for clicks the concept of Biden and the DOJ dropping all charges and cases against him. On the proviso that he fucks off from politics and shuts the fuck up forevermore. A lovely idea but fantasy. He’s a remorseless, vengeful pig who will not give in.

        So, yes, I think he’ll see a bit of bird lime.

    • New York is the most viruently anti-Trump place in the USA so not really a surprise. And I may be naive but jurors are supposed to decide based solely on the presented evidence.

      • The lawyers from both defence and prosecution participate in the selection of the jury, so Trump can’t realistically claim they were biased. Not that that would necessarily stop him.

        • Everyone seems to have forgotten the media scare story that a jury was never going to be empaneled due to continuing objections from Trump’s team of masterminds, resulting in a mistrial.

          Current scare story for clicks: master criminal Trump and his brilliant henchmen will drag appeals on forever and he’ll get elected and … yadda yadda.

          Nope. And he seems to be doing everything possible to get a jail term for this conviction (deemed the weakest of the many actions against him), running his slobbery sphincter-mouth at every public opportunity.

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