Aviva Fried with AFP // Photo credit: David Dee Delgado / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP
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8:14 p.m., May 31, 2024
The day after his historic guilty verdict in New York which plunges the American presidential election into the unknown, Donald Trump castigated a “very unfair” trial from his skyscraper in Manhattan. “We are going to appeal this scam,” launched the Republican from the lobby of his Trump Tower, protesting against an “unfair” decision and a rigged trial. In a disjointed speech lasting more than 30 minutes, the billionaire also accused the outgoing president, Joe Biden and his “gang”, of being “sick” and “fascists” responsible for his legal setbacks.
“I am a political prisoner”
In front of Trump Tower, a handful of his supporters gathered in a show of support, while some passers-by gave the finger at the entrance to the skyscraper. “The real verdict will take place on November 5, by the American people,” Donald Trump had already assured Thursday in front of the cameras after being found guilty of all the charges against him in this criminal trial, the first of a former American president.
“I am a political prisoner,” he also said in a call for donations published in the wake of the court decision. The latter collected $34.8 million in donations in a few hours, according to his campaign, “almost double the largest day ever recorded” on the platform.
In contrast, his rival Joe Biden has been discreet. “We saw today in New York that no one is above the law,” his campaign team commented Thursday, while the president, who was with his family on the occasion of the anniversary of the death of his eldest son, did not personally react. But the Democrat, who must juggle on Friday between an interview with the Belgian Prime Minister and celebrating the Super Bowl champions, could then release a few words to the press about this resounding verdict.
Abroad, certain leaders have shown their support for Donald Trump, such as the far-right Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini who denounced “judicial harassment” and a “political trial”. The Kremlin, through its spokesperson Dmitri Peskov, denounced an “elimination of political adversaries” in the United States. Traveling to Prague, the head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken assured that these accusations from Moscow were only a “reflection” of Russia’s own behavior in this matter.
Sentencing will take place on July 11
If Donald Trump’s guilty verdict is historic, it does not prevent him from competing in the presidential election, and its impact on the vote remains difficult to predict. So far, the polls show Joe Biden neck and neck with Donald Trump, or even the Democrat trailing behind in certain strategic states. And this verdict “is probably not going to move many votes”, predicts Keith Gaddie, political scientist at TCU University in Texas. But for votes “particularly close, this could swing things from one side to the other”.
The fact remains that Donald Trump has proven, in recent years, his resistance to the ordeals that would have destroyed the political careers of many: indicted twice before Congress and indicted in four criminal cases, including that of New York, he However, he was widely and quickly established during the primaries as the Republican candidate for the November election.
And the Stormy Daniels case, which was considered the least threatening for him, will most likely be the only one judged before the vote. Deprived of a campaign on the ground to attend the hearings, Donald Trump still tried to take advantage of the media by speaking several times a day outside the courtroom, flanked by his children or elected officials. Republicans came to support him.
But this judicial sequence could also benefit Joe Biden, who intends to strengthen his image as a serious leader, busy with the highest affairs of the State while his rival continues the legal meetings. The president must therefore speak on Friday afternoon on the situation in the Middle East. And Donald Trump’s sentencing will fall on July 11, coinciding with a NATO summit in Washington, an opportunity for Joe Biden to mark his presence on the international scene.