After several minutes of almost unbearable silence on Thursday at Donald Trump’s hush-money criminal case, the court officer’s voice finally broke through the tension in the courtroom. She asked the jury to read the verdict, and in a steady, even tone, the foreman began.
A wave of guilty verdicts washed over Trump, who sat motionless at the defense table. With each “guilty,” he did not flinch or react physically. The atmosphere in the courtroom felt like the air had turned to stone as the verdict was read.
Sitting silent and still, Trump kept his lips pursed while his lawyers, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, glanced sternly toward the judge. As each juror verbally confirmed the decision to convict him, Trump turned his head in their direction, following their faces one by one. His pursed expression remained unchanged as his attorneys pleaded with the judge for acquittal, claiming Trump’s former fixer had committed perjury with his damning testimony on the stand.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office charged Trump with 34 counts of falsification of business records, and he was found guilty on all counts. Prosecutors said that with Trump’s approval, his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid adult film star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to stay silent just before his 2016 presidential run about an alleged sexual encounter. Trump was then accused of approving a fraudulent scheme to disguise the reimbursement to Cohen as legal expenses. He pleaded not guilty and denied having sex with Ms. Daniels.
After the judge thanked the jury and they left, Justice Merchan quickly turned to the matter of scheduling a sentencing. When court finally adjourned, Trump rose from his seat with a deep frown on his face. As he walked past his son, Eric Trump, he grasped his son’s chest for a moment—though it was not clear who was comforting whom. A few moments later, his son followed him out the door.
