“We’re going to fight,” former President Donald Trump said from the atrium of Trump Tower yesterday.
It was the same spot where he descended a golden escalator to announce his 2016 campaign nine years ago next month.
“I’m willing to do whatever I have to do to save our country and save our Constitution. I don’t mind,” he said, as he traded the aging lower Manhattan courthouse where he spent much of the last two months for a backdrop of American flags, rose marble and brass.
“It’s a very unpleasant thing, to be honest,” he added. “But it’s a great, great honor.”
This came a day after a Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex.
Despite the historic ruling, a convicted Trump sounded much the same as a pre-convicted Trump, as he delivered what amounted to a truncated version of his usual rally speech. He argued the verdict was illegitimate and driven by politics and sought to downplay the facts underlying the case. He said he would appeal.
“It’s not hush money. It’s a nondisclosure agreement,” he said. “Totally legal, totally common.”
On Friday morning, Trump’s campaign announced it had raised $34.8 million from the time the verdict was announced through midnight. That’s more than $1 million for each felony charge and more than his political operation raised in January and February combined. Just under 30 percent of that money came from donors who had not previously given to the campaign through the online platform, they said.
New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan has scheduled the sentencing for July 11. Trump said he plans to appeal.
Trump is also required to report to the New York City Department of Probation for an interview, where he will be quizzed about his personal history and mental health, before that department provides Merchan with a presentencing report, the Washington Post reports.