- Biden calls Trump’s claim of a rigged trial “reckless” and defends US justice system
- Trump criticizes judge and trial, vows to appeal conviction on falsifying business records
- Both Biden and Trump use the verdict to boost campaign fundraising efforts
A day after the historic conviction, US President Joe Biden stated that it was “reckless” for his predecessor, Donald Trump, to refer to his trial as rigged.
Mr. Biden vigorously defended the US justice system in his initial public statements regarding the guilty verdict for Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
Mr. Biden reaffirmed the American principle that no one is above the law in response to the outcome.
Trump delivered a fiery news conference at Trump Tower in Manhattan earlier on Friday, during which he referred to the judge as “crooked,” the trial as a “sham,” and Democrats as “thugs.”
During a White House news conference on Friday afternoon, Mr. Biden addressed the Middle East and a new Israeli proposal for Gaza. His remarks were made at the outset of the meeting.
Mr. Biden stated that his Republican opponent in the November presidential election had been afforded “every opportunity” to defend himself and be heard by a jury of 12 American citizens and, therefore, had no right to complain about the fairness of the process.
“It is excessively reckless.” It is perilous. He stated that it is irresponsible for anyone to assert that the verdict was manipulated solely because they disagree with it. He also indicated that Trump was free to submit an appeal.
The justice system is the “cornerstone of America,” according to Mr. Biden, who has seldom addressed Trump’s legal issues in public.
“The justice system should be held in high regard, and we must never permit anyone to undermine it.” It is as straightforward as that. That is the United States. He stated, “That is our identity.”
On Thursday, Trump momentarily addressed the media outside the courtroom to assert that he had been treated unjustly and that the matter should have been dismissed as a “non-case.”
He criticized Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for bringing the matter to court.
“This was a disgrace, this was a rigged trial,” he indicated.
Trump reiterated his grievances during his news conference on Friday, during which he declined to respond to inquiries from reporters and declared that his team would appeal the conviction.
He reiterated his assertion that the trial was “rigged” and contended that the New York case was politically motivated and a “witch hunt.”
He further stated that a witness summoned by his defence team was “literally crucified” and advised his supporters that “if they can do this to me, they can do this to anyone.”
Following the verdict on Thursday, both Mr Biden and Trump are endeavouring to increase the amount of money they are raising for their campaigns.
On Friday, Mr. Biden utilized X, which was previously known as Twitter, to distribute a fundraising link to ActBlue, a Democratic fundraising tool.
“Our democracy is under threat from Donald Trump.” Initially, he expressed doubts regarding our electoral system. He subsequently questioned the legitimacy of our judicial system. “And now, you can prevent him,” he wrote.
“Start your investing journey with a gift! Claim your free Webull shares.”
In the six hours following the guilty verdict, Trump’s campaign reported that it had raised over $34.8 million, which is approximately half of the total amount raised by the campaign during the entire month of April.
It stated that minor donors contributed the majority of the funds and that 30% of them were obtained through WinRed, the Republican Party’s fundraising platform.
Within minutes of Trump’s conviction, his Truth Social account posted fundraising requests.
“I AM A POLITICAL PRISONER,” stated one post.
Additionally, his campaign has distributed emails soliciting donations.
According to Brian Hughes, senior adviser to the Trump campaign, the guilty verdict on Thursday afternoon resulted in a record number of supporters for Trump’s digital fundraising system.
He further stated that intermittent delays were the result of the increase in traffic.
