Following Trump’s conviction on Thursday, both Joe Biden and Donald Trump emphasized the stakes of the upcoming November elections, as Republicans hurried to defend the former president.

Biden took to social media, linking to a fundraising page and stating that the only way to keep Trump out of the Oval Office is by voting at the polls.

Trump, while criticizing the prosecution in his New York hush money trial as a “disgrace,” also pointed to the importance of this fall’s presidential election.

News of Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records sent shockwaves through election campaigns. Republican candidates largely aligned with Trump, while Democrats avoided delving into case details, stating that justice had prevailed.

Trump’s allies in Capitol Hill rushed to support him, with top Republicans attacking the justice system in the wake of the verdict, emphasizing the importance of the 2024 elections, and making fundraising appeals.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who traveled to the Manhattan courthouse during the trial to defend Trump, condemned what he called “the weaponization of our justice system,” stating, “President Trump will rightly appeal this absurd verdict and WIN.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has had a strained relationship with the former president, said in a brief statement, “These charges should never have been brought in the first place. I hope the conviction is overturned on appeal.”

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise wrote on social media, “I will not stand idly by while the leader of our party is ambushed by our own government. Will you stand with Trump before midnight tonight and condemn this witch hunt once and for all?” The Louisiana Republican included a link to a fundraising site.

New York Representative Elise Stefanik, chair of the House Republican Conference and potential running mate for Trump, criticized what she called a “sham trial.”
“We must double down and work around the clock to ensure President Trump wins this November to save America from Biden’s failed far-left Democrat agenda,” she said in a statement.

South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, also a potential running mate for Trump, stated on Thursday that the American justice system “hunts Republicans while protecting Democrats.”
“This was certainly a hoax, a farce. This was devastating to the average American viewer,” Scott told CNN’s Abby Phillip on “NewsNight.” Turning the verdict into a positive, he added, “Even the ‘Never-Trumpers’ are now calling and joining the team. Donors who sat on the sidelines are now joining the team because November 5 is a day of reckoning.”

Republican Senate candidates quickly sided with Trump as well. Tim Sheehy, challenging Democratic Senator Jon Tester in Montana, issued a statement declaring the verdict “RIGGED” and calling the case a “state-sponsored political persecution.”

Kari Lake, the Republican poised to face Democratic Representative Ruben Gallego in the Arizona Senate race, said Americans “just witnessed the most egregious example of election interference and a blatant mockery of the rule of law in our 246-year history. This entire process, up to the verdict itself, has been nothing but a shameful political stunt.”
“This is a terrible day for America and trust in our justice system,” said Pennsylvania Republican Dave McCormick, who is challenging Democratic Senator Bob Casey. “First and foremost, this case should never have been brought, and this judicial error is despicable.”

Meanwhile, Democrats offered more restrained reactions, with many not commenting immediately after the verdict. Gallego expressed respect for the justice system and the rule of law, saying on social media, “The process played out, and we must always demand accountability from our elected leaders.”

Some Republicans critical of Trump distanced themselves from the former president on Thursday. When news broke that the jury had reached a verdict, former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, a Senate candidate in the traditionally blue state, called on Americans to “respect the verdict and the legal process.”
“At this dangerously divided moment in our history, all leaders, regardless of party, should not pour more fuel on the fire with more toxic partisanship,” Hogan said in a statement before the verdict was announced.

This statement later elicited a terse response from senior Trump adviser Chris LaCivita: “You just ended your campaign.”

Trump is now the first former president found guilty of a felony, and the first major party presidential candidate convicted of a crime during a campaign for the White House. If he defeats Biden in November, Trump would be the first sitting president in history to be a convicted felon.

Biden’s campaign said in a statement that the New York verdict demonstrated that “no one is above the law.”
“The threat Trump poses to our democracy has never been greater. He is running an increasingly deranged campaign of revenge and retribution,” said campaign spokesperson Michael Tyler. “A second Trump term means chaos, tearing at Americans’ freedoms, and fostering political violence, and the American people will reject him this November.”

Biden’s campaign also sent a text message to supporters warning that Trump was likely “setting fundraising records” following Thursday’s verdict.

Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who learned of the verdict while speaking to reporters before his appearance at a cryptocurrency convention in Austin, Texas, downplayed the significance of the case.
“I have been disciplined in not commenting on court cases and focusing on issues that I believe are of deep concern to Americans, not the issues that, you know, are being used to divide us, the cultural war issues. I’m not going to comment on it,” Kennedy said.