Guilty Donald Trump turned his rage on migrants today before a fiery tirade against his “unfair” trial.
The ex-president, 77, blamed the judge, after rambling “we’re losing our country” in a rambling 33-minute speech which President Biden called “dangerous”. Speaking from Trump Tower to his supporters – many of whom are aligned with the far right – the disgraced former leader called for violence after he was found guilty of falsifying business records.
Trump, who could face up to four years in prison, has called the trial “rigged” and said he will appeal. From a lectern at his New York skyscraper, Trump began speaking first about immigration before blasting trial judge Juan Merchan, then President Joe Biden and back to migration.
Trump gave a dark and chilling speech in which he made consistent unfounded claims, saying migrants were 'invading' the US (AFP via Getty Images)Mr Biden responded that Trump was found guilty by a unanimous jury and “it’s reckless, it’s dangerous, it’s irresponsible for anyone to say this is rigged just because they don’t like the verdict”. Trump said of Judge Merchan: “As far as the trial itself, it was very unfair.
“We weren’t allowed to use our election expert. You saw what happened to some witnesses on our side, they were literally crucified by this man. He looks like an angel, but he’s really a devil. There’s never been a more conflicted judge. I’m under a gag order, nasty gag order, where I’ve had to pay thousands of dollars in penalties.”
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Discussing his conviction, he added: “Falsifying business records, that sounds so bad. That’s a bad thing for me, I’ve never had that before.” Trump, who looked tired, claimed the payment he made to his then-lawyer Michael Cohen was not criminal and was documented as a legal expense.
Joe Biden called his opponent's speech "Reckless and dangerous" (AFP via Getty Images)A bookkeeper “correctly marked it down in the books”, he said, but “without any knowledge from me”. A jury found it was to repay Cohen the $130,000 (£100,000) he paid to porn star Stormy Daniels to stop her from making allegations over a 2006 one-night stand she claims she had with Trump.
In his speech, Trump ranted about immigration, accusing Mr Biden and the “bunch of fascists” who back him of failing to secure the US-Mexico border. He called Mr Biden “the worst president in the history of our country,” “most incompetent”, and “most dishonest”.
“Look at the way he treats China, Russia, so many others,” Trump said. “He’s a very big danger to our country.” Trump continued “record levels of terrorists have come into our country”. He said Chinese migrants are arriving in the US to build an army and that 29,000 had arrived in the last few months.
Trump fans lined Fifth Avenue outside Trump Tower on Friday as the disgraced candidate spoke (Getty Images)The US has seen a larger than tenfold increase in migrants from China, with 37,000 arrested in 2023, although there has been no evidence that they have tried to mount a military force. Trump also alleged US Army veterans were being left homeless while migrants were being housed “in luxury hotels”.
He called the committee that investigated the US Capitol attack “thugs” and implied Mr Biden is corrupt and a political puppet. Mr Biden’s campaign said the “threat Trump poses to our democracy has never been greater”, adding: “He is running an increasingly unhinged campaign of revenge, pledging to be a dictator ‘on day one’.”
Trump fans inundated MAGA websites with calls for riots, revolution, and violent retribution. Messages appeared on the businessman’s Truth Social site and the websites Patriots.Win and the Gateway Pundit. Some advocated for attacks on the 12 jurors, the execution of Judge Merchan, and even civil war.
Donald Trump ranted at length about immigration in a press conference following the verdict in his hush-money trial (Getty Images)“Someone in NY with nothing to lose needs to take care of Merchan,” a commentator on Patriots.Win wrote. On Gateway Pundit, one wrote: “Time to start capping some lefties. This cannot be fixed by voting.”
Some flew and shared images of upside-down flags in protest at the former president’s conviction. At least one was spotted outside Trump Tower, and elected officials including Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene shared the image online.
The symbol, once a signal of distress for sailors, has come to represent the “Stop the Steal” movement, which falsely claimed the 2020 presidential election was stolen. As Trump campaigns for another White House term, he has baselessly portrayed judges and prosecutors as corrupt tools of the Biden administration intent on derailing his bid.
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He is scheduled to be sentenced for 34 counts of falsifying documents on July 11, just days before the Republican Party is set to nominate him for the presidential race on November 5. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and is expected to appeal. His campaign said it had raised $34.8million (£27.3million) in small online contributions since his conviction – nearly double its previous largest haul.
Fundraising emails have employed stark language, including “I AM A POLITICAL PRISONER!” and “JUSTICE IS DEAD IN AMERICA!” Yesterday the fallout from Trump’s conviction continued. The former president’s eldest son, Donald Jr, attacked the verdict, calling it “such bulls***.”
In the UK, Cabinet minister Mel Stride admitted it was “virtually unprecedented”, adding it was “a very dramatic turn of events, and let’s wait to see what happens”. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “You wouldn’t expect me to comment on another country’s domestic politics or judicial processes.”
Trump’s hush money case has taken on added importance as other prosecutions he faces in Georgia, Washington, DC and Florida are unlikely to take place before the election. They allege that he conspired to undo the 2020 election and hoarded top-secret records, but they are bogged down by delays or appeals.
President Joe Biden, responding to the verdict at the White House, said the former president “was given every opportunity to defend himself” and blasted his rhetoric. “It’s reckless, it’s dangerous, it’s irresponsible for anyone to say this is rigged just because they don’t like the verdict,” Biden said.
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