The front page of the New York Times for Friday, May 31 reads simply: "Guilty." Much of the front page of the Washington Post is covered with the words "Trump Found Guilty." "The Wall Street Journal" writes that "Trump is convicted."
It was not difficult for the editors of the American press to find a topic for the front page today. Almost every daily newspaper in the United States this morning chose a portrait for its cover photo Donald Trump. However, never before in the history of "Uncle Sam" has a former president or presidential candidate faced a felony conviction or prison sentence.
Trump was convicted of 34 criminal offenses yesterday. However, it would be naive to say that this development means that the Republican candidate will withdraw from the presidential race. On the contrary, Donald Trump will try to turn what for the average politician could be a judgment on the end of his career into "fuel for his campaign", writes the Voice of America.
What was Trump convicted of?
Contender to return to the White House and the only competitor the current president of the United States of America Joseph Biden in the upcoming November elections, he was convicted yesterday of attempting to illegally influence the 2016 elections.
A jury also found Trump guilty of falsifying business records to cover up a secret payment to former porn star Stormy Daniels, who claimed she and the Republican candidate had sex. It is the first of 34 counts of the indictment, and the jury found Trump guilty on all counts.
The verdict will be announced on July 11, and Trump will return to the campaign today. His lawyers and allies described him as defiant and ready to fight the verdict, which they claim is "illegitimate and politically driven".
"There is no one more defiant," Trump spokesman Jason Mueller told Fox News hours after the verdict was read. "He's ready to step up and start fighting again."
This trial is only the first of a total of four criminal proceedings against Trump. He is on trial in Georgia for what the indictment says is an attempt to violently reverse his defeat in the 2020 US state presidential election. In addition, there are two federal proceedings pending. In the first, Trump is accused of knowingly spreading lies about election fraud in 2020 in order to stay in power. In the second case, he must defend himself because he illegally kept secret government documents after leaving the White House.
Trump's chances of winning jumped
The fact that Trump became a convicted felon yesterday did little to thwart his plans to return to the White House. Although the US media initially reported that in case of Trump's guilty verdict, many of his voters could turn their backs on him, his chances of victory, according to bookmakers, exceeded 50 percent this morning. For the first time since the beginning of the election race.
"The fact that the significance of Trump's verdict is being discussed at all shows the enormous decline of ideals and values in just one decade." "It is simply impossible to imagine a world in which, even ten years ago, the conviction of any president for 34 criminal offenses would very likely be favorable to his chances in the elections," writes "The Guardian".
Trump and his campaign spent days preparing for a guilty verdict, even as they hoped the jury would be divided and deadlocked. Trump said on Tuesday that not even Mother Teresa, a nun and saint, could prevail against the allegations, which he has repeatedly called "rigged."
After the verdict, his campaign announced a flood of payments through fundraising tools, and Republican allies rallied behind Trump. In one text message he was called a "political prisoner", although the chances of Trump being sentenced to prison are still minimal.
The campaign also began selling black caps emblazoned with "Make America Great Again," Donald Trump's winning slogan in 2016, as a reflection of "a dark day in history."
Contributors reported a sudden rush of contributions, so intense that WinRed, the platform the campaign uses to raise funds, was taken down. Trump campaign spokesman Brian Hughes said it was a sign "that the American people saw this sham trial as political interference in the election that Biden and the Democrats always intended to carry out."
"November 5th," he said, echoing Trump's words, "is the day the American people will give the real verdict!"
Biden has his own problems
The "real verdict" is still a few months away, and defeat in the New York courtroom is not the same as defeat in the elections. And there are no roses blooming on the other side either. Although he is not in the prime of his youth, Trump he's lucky to be racing against an 81-year-old with a slow gait, shaky looks and unreliable tongue. In addition to age, Joseph Biden is also troubled by his son Hunter, who himself will soon appear before the judges.
Hunter Biden's trial on gun possession charges begins in Delaware on June 3. In addition, the son of the US president was also accused of non-declaration and non-payment of taxes, false tax return and concealment of property valuation.
Another boost for Trump could come from the Supreme Court. The Republican-dominated court is expected to further slow down the case against Trump by the end of June, allegedly due to the issue of presidential immunity.
Trump leads in key states
Finally, the first presidential debate is scheduled for June 27. It's been four years since Biden and Trump last clashed on camera. And the current situation for the Democratic candidate, despite the overly optimistic conviction of Democratic voters that Trump will never enter the White House again, is not favorable at all.
Biden is steadily trailing Trump in states that could decide who will lead the United States of America for the next four years. In the seven key states likely to decide the election - Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania - which Biden narrowly won in 2020, with the exception of North Carolina, polls published by the public broadcaster PBS consistently show that Trump has an advantage over Biden.
And, as things currently stand, yesterday's verdict only increased that advantage. Paradoxically, Trump may be close to prison, but he is even closer to the White House.
