Trump allies say his felony conviction has helped unify Republicans

Transcript

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

Former President Donald Trump was seething this morning over his guilty verdict on those felony charges. Speaking at Trump Tower, he called the judge the devil and claimed the U.S. was being led by fascists.

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DONALD TRUMP: The people of our country know it's a hoax. They know it's a hoax. They get it. You know, they're really smart. And it's really something. So we're going to be appealing this scam.

SHAPIRO: There is no evidence the trial was a scam. Trump's remarks came a day after 12 New York jurors found him guilty of 34 felony counts of falsified business records. NPR political reporter Ximena Bustillo was in the courthouse for the trial and at Trump Tower today. Hi, Ximena.

XIMENA BUSTILLO, BYLINE: Hey there.

SHAPIRO: We've heard some of those claims from him before. Did the former president say anything new this morning about his conviction there in the atrium of Trump Tower?

BUSTILLO: Well, he did confirm that he is going to appeal the verdict, and this was expected. Yesterday, Alina Habba, who's one of his lawyers, though not one on this case, also suggested that the defense may appeal. And they have done this in various of the civil trials here in Manhattan. He reiterated that many of the claims that he has been making this whole time, that the judge is conflicted, that he has this gag order in place that's prohibiting him from speaking about jurors and witnesses. And without evidence, he does continue to make the false claim that this trial is controlled by his political opponents. But still, regardless of what Trump claims, just over four weeks of testimony from 22 witnesses, and those 12 jurors have delivered their verdict.

SHAPIRO: And the election is this big cloud hanging over the trial. The podium that he spoke from had a big Trump 2024 sign on it. How did the campaign come up today?

BUSTILLO: He does keep reminding the public that he is the leading GOP candidate for president, and he has continued to blame Democrats and his, quote, "political opponents" for the trial. So he is also making this about politics at every step still. And he has, for a time, you know, gone into stump speech mode, repeating his usual anti-immigration rhetoric and saying that American schools are full of people speaking, quote, "languages that we haven't even heard of."

SHAPIRO: I want to bring in our colleague Franco Ordoñez, who's covering the campaign. Franco, how is Trump's team, how's the campaign staff handling their candidate's conviction?

FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: I mean, Ari, they're leaning in. I mean, Trump's already using the verdict to fuel his effort to return to the White House. I mean, just before he took the microphone this morning, his campaign announced a new online daily fundraising record. The campaign says it raised more than $34 million in less than 24 hours after the verdict. Of course, we'll get a better sense of the numbers once the FEC rules - it gives out its official figures. But, you know, also, Trump's allies have been rallying around him. I spoke with Bryan Lanza. He's a former Trump aide who remains close to the campaign, and he says it's really energized and mobilized Republicans.

BRYAN LANZA: He's already using this verdict, you know, to fundraise, right? He's already using this verdict to rally the party. He's already using this verdict to contrast himself against Joe Biden. And so, obviously, this verdict is going to be front and center in nearly everything we do.

FRANCO ORDOÑEZ: Front and center - I mean, they're really banking on this verdict helping Trump, kind of in a similar way to how the criminal indictments last year gave a little bit of a kick to their primary campaign.

SHAPIRO: He complained so much about being tied to the courthouse. Now that the trial is over, are we going to see him out on the campaign trail a lot more?

FRANCO ORDOÑEZ: I mean, yeah, they're going on the offensive. He's no longer confined to that courthouse or the courtroom. I mean, over the next six weeks, there's going to be a lot of stuff happening. There's going to be the first presidential debate, then the Republican National Convention. Trump's going to pick his running mate. I mean, this is a really critical time.

I mean, still, of course, it's unclear what impact this will have on the race. You know, our latest polls show most Americans have made up their minds. But this race is going to be one on the margins. And that same poll shows that 17% of voters did say they'd be less likely to vote for Trump if he was found guilty. I do think a big question is, how do these campaigns use the verdict to kind of advance their agendas? The Trump campaign is certainly leaning in, but you also see President Biden leaning in, saying today at the White House that the verdict shows no one is above the law.

SHAPIRO: And even though this trial is over, the legal process is not. Ximena, you mentioned that he's going to appeal. There's still sentencing. What's coming up?

BUSTILLO: Well, Trump will remain out of prison until the sentencing hearing, and that's coming up on July 11. That's just days before that RNC convention in Milwaukee that Franco was just talking about. But both the prosecution and the defense have till June 13 to file presentencing motions, which they will detail what they think the punishment should be. But ultimately, New York Judge Juan Merchan will be the one that will decide that in July. Prison, as we know, is a potential punishment, but several legal experts say that that is unlikely, given that this is Trump's first criminal offense, and it's a nonviolent crime.

SHAPIRO: NPR's Ximena Bustillo and Franco Ordoñez. Thank you both.

FRANCO ORDOÑEZ: Thank you.

BUSTILLO: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.