The Morning: The conviction of Donald J. Trump

Plus, Justice Alito, the Scripps spelling bee winner and Banksy.

View in browser|nytimes.com May 31, 2024 By David Leonhardt Good morning. We're covering Trump's conviction — as well as Justice Alito, the Scripps spelling bee winner and Banksy. Donald Trump Pool photo by Seth Wenig Guilty The criminal justice system finally caught up to Donald Trump. He has spent decades on the edge of legal trouble. First, he was a New York businessman whose company violated discrimination laws, failed to repay debts and flirted with bankruptcy. Then, he was a president who impeded an investigation of his 2016 campaign, tried to overturn the result of his re-election defeat and refused to return classified documents he took from the White House. Throughout, his central strategy was the same: delay. Try to push off legal problems for as long as possible and hope that a solution somehow presented itself. It usually worked, too. And it seemed to be on the verge of working again this year, with two federal trials and one state trial in Georgia all unlikely to finish before Election Day. Yesterday, however, a criminal jury judged Trump for the first time. The verdict was guilty, 34 times, pronounced late in the afternoon in downtown Manhattan. The prosecutors argued that Trump had falsified business records to hide a sexual affair from voters and corrupt the 2016 election. After two days of deliberation, the 12 jurors agreed. Trump has become the first former president of the United States to be a convicted felon. Yes, the caveats are important. He will appeal, and some legal experts think he has a case, given the novel combination of accusations that the prosecutors made. It is unclear when, or even if, he will go to prison. Most important, nobody knows whether it will help or hurt his presidential campaign. On the most basic level, however, Trump experienced a personal defeat yesterday unlike any other. My colleague Michael Gold, who has been covering Trump, said that as he left the courthouse — after making a combative statement but taking no questions — Trump "looked more somber than I have seen him at any point in the last several months." Maggie Haberman, who has been covering Trump for years, notes that Trump and his aides frequently respond to bad news with spin about what actually happened. "By following this playbook, Trump's team can usually create enough confusion to leave people questioning outcomes," Maggie wrote. "Not so with a jury verdict." In the rest of today's newsletter, we'll walk you through three key questions, round up the rest of The Times's coverage and give you a selection of outside commentary. Three questions 1. Could Trump go to prison? Yes, but it's not clear if he will. The judge, Juan Merchan, scheduled sentencing for July 11. Until then, Trump remains free. Each of the 34 counts on which Trump was convicted carries a sentence of up to four years. Most legal observers believe that a sentence of more than four years — in which Trump would serve consecutive terms, rather than concurrent terms — is unlikely. Merchan could also decide to sentence Trump to probation and no prison time. Before sentencing, Trump will sit with a psychologist or a social worker and have a chance to explain why he deserves a light punishment. Even if Merchan sentences Trump to prison time, it may not begin immediately. Merchan could instead allow Trump to remain free while courts heard his appeal. The appeals could take months or years, well beyond Election Day, and could rise to the Supreme Court. 2. Can Trump still be president? Yes. The Constitution does not bar him from holding office because of this felony. He could run for president from prison. If he was elected from prison, he could not pardon himself because the conviction is on state charges rather than federal charges. But he could sue for his release, arguing that his imprisonment prevented him from fulfilling his constitutional duties as president. Read more about what could happen next. 3. How will his conviction affect the campaign? Nobody knows. Political prognostication after unprecedented news is a recipe for regret. (The day after Richard Nixon resigned, a front-page story in this very newspaper said the resignation immediately made Gerald Ford the favorite to win the 1976 election; he lost.) But we understand that readers are hungry for analysis of this question because it may be the most important one. And we recommend this article by Nate Cohn, The Times's chief political analyst. Nate points out that Trump's current polling lead relies on voters who have traditionally supported Democrats, including younger and nonwhite voters. Some of them have previously told pollsters that a conviction would make them less comfortable with supporting Trump. Nate also emphasizes — and this will sound familiar — that nobody yet knows what will happen. In Manhattan. Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times How Trump responded The courtroom was silent as the jury foreman read the verdict, saying "guilty" 34 times, into a microphone. Trump shut his eyes and shook his head. After his conviction, Trump blamed the judge, the jury and a country "gone to hell." "This was a rigged trial," Trump said after leaving the courtroom. "The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people," he added. Trump's Republican allies blasted the verdict. Speaker Mike Johnson called it "a purely political exercise, not a legal one." But Republicans who oppose Trump were more supportive. Larry Hogan, running for Senate in Maryland, asked Americans to respect the verdict. More coverage President Biden's campaign responded by asking for donations on social media. "There's only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box." The verdict gave Biden's campaign a new way to frame the race — as a choice between someone who is a felon and someone who is not. Here's how Alvin Bragg, the district attorney, and his team made their case. You can also see the verdict, count by count.) Savannah Guthrie scrambled. Rachel Maddow took notes. Every major TV network cut in to cover what CNN's Jake Tapper called "an unbelievable moment in American history." If Trump goes to prison, the Secret Service agents who protect the former president will join him there. Commentary "The greatest good to come out of this sordid case is the proof that the rule of law binds everyone, even former presidents," The Times's editorial board wrote. The Wall Street Journal's editorial board argued that "the conviction sets a precedent of using legal cases, no matter how sketchy, to try to knock out political opponents." "If Donald Trump ends up in a jail cell this year, it will be thanks in part to the remarkable testimony of a porn star whom he's been doing everything in his power to shame, silence, and discredit for eight years," Laura Bassett wrote in The Cut. "The Biden campaign may be tempted to flood the zone about the conviction," the Democratic strategist David Axelrod wrote, adding: "The right play for Biden may be to lean even more into the day-to-day concerns of people. The contrast would be powerful." "Some legal observers said Bragg was stretching," The Guardian's Sam Levine wrote. "But over the last several weeks, prosecutors transformed a complex legal case into a carefully constructed narrative that was easy for jurors to understand." "What a time to be alive!" Here's how people around the country reacted to the verdict. ADVERTISEMENT THE LATEST NEWS Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Erin Schaff/The New York Times Chief Justice John Roberts said he would not compel Justice Samuel Alito to recuse himself from Jan. 6-related Supreme Court cases. Democratic lawmakers had asked Roberts to do so after The Times reported that flags associated with the "Stop the Steal" movement had flown over Alito's homes. Alito said he did not need to step aside because his wife had flown the flags, not him. Legal ethics experts said they found his rationale unpersuasive. The court ruled that the National Rifle Association could pursue a First Amendment claim against a New York State official who had encouraged companies to stop doing business with the gun-rights group. More on Politics Some Republican candidates in competitive Senate races have softened their positions on abortion. The issue has hurt their party in recent elections. "The institution's not functioning": Retiring members of Congress, including top-ranking legislators and rising stars, say that serving is no longer worth the frustration. War in Ukraine The Biden administration authorized Ukraine to use U.S.-made weapons to strike inside Russia, though it limited the targets to those related to Russia's advance on Kharkiv. After the announcement, Russia struck Kharkiv. International A dog rescued from a flooded area in Canoas, Brazil.  Andre Borges/European Pressphoto Agency In Brazil, catastrophic floods have separated thousands of pets from their owners. Slovakia's prime minister left the hospital two weeks after an assassination attempt. India's stock markets are surging. Big global investors are looking there for growth. Other Big Stories Bruhat Soma Ting Shen for The New York Times Bruhat Soma, 12, from Tampa, Fla., won the Scripps National Spelling Bee. He prevailed in a rare spell-off, blazing through 29 difficult words in 90 seconds. The U.S. sued Hyundai and two other companies, accusing them of employing a 13-year-old in a factory in Alabama. The American economy grew at a 1.3 percent annual rate in the first quarter, slower than initially estimated, as consumers spent less. PTSD has surged among college students, climbing during the pandemic, researchers found. A man in Idaho was found guilty of murder in three killings. They were known as the "doomsday" killings because of his religious beliefs. Opinions Sports leagues' entanglement with gambling puts athletes under untenable pressure, Leigh Steinberg writes. Here's a column by Paul Krugman on the importance of the 2024 election. Readers of The Morning: For a limited time, enjoy 7 free days. Discover all of The Times, from expert coverage to games to cooking, sports and more, free for one week, then $1/week for your first six months. Try The Times now. MORNING READS Calligraphy by Alice Fang. Image by Marcelle Hopkins. Hobbies: The ancient art of calligraphy is experiencing a revival. Deep sea: A ghoulish fish has weird sex — extremely weird sex. Hollywood: Travis Kelce has big career plans, The Cut reports. "I'm looking for movie deals," he said. Totonno's: A beloved 100-year-old pizzeria on Coney Island survived a fire and a pandemic. Its future is now in question. Lives Lived: The Hollywood producer Albert Ruddy helped create the sitcom "Hogan's Heroes" and the Oscar-winning moves "The Godfather" and "Million Dollar Baby." He died at 94. SPORTS N.B.A.: Luka Doncic scored 20 points in the first quarter of Dallas' blowout win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Dallas is going to the N.B.A. Finals. N.H.L.: The Florida Panthers are one win away from their second straight Stanley Cup Final appearance after beating the New York Rangers. College football: Shilo Sanders, the son of the Colorado coach Deion Sanders, filed for bankruptcy after a Texas court ordered him to pay $12 million in damages over an alleged assault. ADVERTISEMENT ARTS AND IDEAS A visitor inside the Banksy Museum last week. Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times The Banksy Museum, which opened this month in New York City, does not own or display any actual works by the pseudonymous street artist. Rather, Max Lakin writes in The Times, it features 167 "decent-enough reproductions," with life-size paintings on panels treated to look like exterior walls. "There is something perverse in paying to experience an ersatz street to look at artificial graffiti, as if the real version wasn't available outside for free," Max writes. More on culture Calvin Klein named Veronica Leoni as its creative director. She will be the first woman to run the brand. Paul Mescal and Natalie Portman took a smoke break in London together in matching white T-shirts, The Cut reports. The internet spun out. Frank London — who has worked for decades at the crossroads of Jewish music and jazz — is battling cancer, but his work hasn't slowed. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … David Malosh for The New York Times Sauté shishito peppers and toss them with raw corn for crunchy, smoky summer salad. Download these apps onto your kid's first phone. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangram was quoting. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. —David P.S. Join the hosts from "The Daily" at a special live event at the Tribeca Festival on June 9. Get more info — and buy tickets — here. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for the Morning newsletter from The New York Times, or as part of your New York Times account. To stop receiving The Morning, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018