NationalWatch

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg took a victory lap after former President Donald Trump was found guilty on 34 counts, saying his office “did our job.”

“I did my job. Our job is to follow the facts and the law without fear or favor. And that’s exactly what we did here. And what I feel is gratitude to work alongside phenomenal public servants who do that each and every day in matters that you all write about. … I did my job. We did our job. Many voices out there. The only voice that matters is the voice of the jury. And the jury has spoken,” Bragg said Thursday evening. 

Bragg charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The jury delivered their verdict late Thursday afternoon, finding Trump guilty on each count. 

Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts.

STEFANIK SLAMS ‘SHAM’ TRUMP TRIAL VERDICT AS ‘CORRUPT’ AND BASED ON ‘ZOMBIE’ CASE

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks after the guilty verdict in former U.S. President Donald Trumps criminal trial over charges that he falsified business records to conceal money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, at a press conference in New York, U.S., May 30, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid (REUTERS)

“The 12 everyday jurors vowed to make a decision based on the evidence and the law, and the evidence and the law alone. Their deliberations led them to a unanimous conclusion beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant, Donald J. Trump, is guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree to conceal a scheme to corrupt the 2016 election,” Bragg continued in the press conference, adding that such white collar crimes are at the “core to what we do at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.” 

TRUMP VOWS TO ‘FIGHT TO THE END,’ PROMISING ‘THIS IS LONG FROM OVER’ AFTER GUILTY VERDICT

Former President Donald Trump returns to the courtroom during his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on Thursday, May 30, 2024 in New York.  (Michael M. Santiago/Pool Photo via AP)

“While this defendant may be unlike any other in American history, we arrived at this trial and ultimately today at this verdict, in the same manner as every other case that comes to the courtroom doors by following the facts and the law and doing so without fear or favor.” 

TRUMP FOUND GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS IN NY TRIAL

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks after the guilty verdict in former U.S. President Donald Trump’s criminal trial over charges that he falsified business records to conceal money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, at a press conference in New York, U.S., May 30, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid (REUTERS)

After the jury handed down the verdict, Trump also addressed the media, where he vowed to continue fighting for the Constitution and nation ahead of the 2024 election. 

“This was a rigged, disgraceful trial. The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people,” Trump said outside the court Thursday. 

TRUMP SAYS COSTLY TRIAL IS ‘PROVING MY POINT’ THAT COURTS ARE WEAPONIZED AGAINST HIM: ‘DISGRACE’

Donald Trump arrives to Trump Tower, Thursday, May 30, 2024 after being found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. (Felipe Ramales for Fox News Digital)

“This was a rigged decision right from day one. With a conflicted judge who should have never been allowed to try this case. Never. And we will fight for our Constitution. This is long from over.” 

The verdict comes after six weeks of trial in Manhattan court, which largely kept Trump off the campaign trial.

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Trump will face sentencing in the case on July 11, which is just a few days before the Republican National Convention begins in Milwaukee. 

Republican lawmakers slammed the New York v. Trump verdict Thursday afternoon as “corrupt and rigged” after the former president was found guilty on all 34 charges brought against him by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

“Today is a shameful day in American history,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in a statement. “Democrats cheered as they convicted the leader of the opposing party on ridiculous charges, predicated on the testimony of a disbarred, convicted felon. This was a purely political exercise, not a legal one. The weaponization of our justice system has been a hallmark of the Biden Administration, and the decision today is further evidence that Democrats will stop at nothing to silence dissent and crush their political opponents.   The American people see this as lawfare, and they know it is wrong—and dangerous. President Trump will rightfully appeal this absurd verdict—and he WILL WIN!”

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said the outcome of the verdict is “a complete travesty that makes a mockery of our system of justice.”

“A political show trial conducted by an openly pro-Biden judge whose daughter makes money off the case, a jury from the most liberal county in America, absurd and ridiculous charges and outrageous jury instructions that guaranteed guilty verdicts Biden and the Trump deranged left will stop at nothing to remain in power,” he said.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS DEVELOPMENTS IN THE TRUMP CRIMINAL TRIAL

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Manhattan Criminal Court, Thursday, May 30, 2024, in New York.  (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, Pool)

House Judiciary Committee ChairmanJim Jordan, R-Ohio, also released the following statement on New York v. Trump verdict:

“The verdict is a travesty of justice. The Manhattan kangaroo court shows what happens when our justice system is weaponized by partisan prosecutors in front of a biased judge with an unfair process, designed to keep President Trump off the campaign trail and avoid bringing attention to President Biden’s failing radical policies. Americans see through Democrats’ lawfare tactics and know President Trump will be vindicated on appeal.”

Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and John Cornyn, R-Texas – who are both running to replace Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell as Senate GOP leader – also released statements shortly after the verdict. Scott called it a “sham trial” and the “clearest example we’ve ever seen of election interference.” 

Cornyn said the trial “is a disgrace” that should’ve never taken place.

“Now more than ever, we need to rally around @realdonaldtrump, take back the White House and Senate, and get this country back on track. The real verdict will be Election Day,” Cornyn said on X.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said the “verdict, like the case itself, is a travesty of justice.”

“The nakedly partisan judge biased the trial at every turn, from allowing an unconstitutional indictment in the first place to excluding key evidence to rigging the jury instructions. The American people will see right through Joe Biden and the Democrats’ weaponization of the legal system,” he wrote on X. 

GOP lawmakers in both chambers have rallied behind Trump and called for their colleagues to endorse the former president in the November election. Over 100 House Republicans and over two dozen Senate Republicans — including the Senate GOP Conference — endorsed Trump.

Staunch Trump-ally, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said in a statement that the American people “will see through” the “pure election interference.”

Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said that everything about the Trump trial “has been partisan.” 

“Today’s verdict is no different. In America, our elections are decided at the voting booth not in courtrooms. I stand with President Trump and he needs our help to send a loud message in November.”

BIDEN TELLS BLACK VOTERS HE WILL PUT PROGRESSIVES ON SUPREME COURT IN SECOND TERM

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, lamented on X that it is “a dark day for America” following the case’s verdict.

“This entire trial has been a sham, and it is nothing more than political persecution. The only reason they prosecuted Donald Trump is because Democrats are terrified that he will win reelection.”

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., said the American justice system is “corrupt and rigged” under President Joe Biden in a statement Thursday. 

“I fully support President Trump appealing this decision and look forward to the New York Court of Appeals delivering justice and overturning this verdict. The facts are clear: this was a zombie case brought forward by Joe Biden’s allies in a desperate attempt to save Biden’s failing campaign and the verdict hinged on the testimony of a convicted felon who was disbarred for lying,” she said.

STEFANIK SLAMS ‘SHAM’ TRUMP TRIAL VERDICT AS ‘CORRUPT’ AND BASED ON ‘ZOMBIE’ CASE

Emil Bove and former U.S. President Donald Trump chat during Trump’s criminal trial on charges that he falsified business records to conceal money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, in Manhattan state court in New York City, U.S. April 26, 2024, in this courtroom sketch.  (REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg)

“How long can our Republic survive once partisans have taken over the judicial process? This verdict will tragically undermine Americans’ confidence in impartial justice. A sad day for America…,” Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., wrote on X. 

TRUMP SAYS COSTLY TRIAL IS ‘PROVING MY POINT’ THAT COURTS ARE WEAPONIZED AGAINST HIM: ‘DISGRACE’

Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The charges stem from a years-long investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

The charges are related to alleged payments made to silence Daniels about an alleged 2006 extramarital affair with Trump before the 2016 presidential election.

Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen paid Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, a $130,000 hush money payment ahead of the 2016 presidential election in an effort to keep her silent on allegations of an affair with Trump in 2006.

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The payments to Daniels were first revealed in January 2018 in a Wall Street Journal report that said Cohen and Daniels’ lawyer negotiated a nondisclosure agreement to prevent her from publicly discussing the supposed sexual encounter with Trump.

At the time, though, Cohen, Trump, and even Stormy Daniels denied the arrangement.

Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

Former President Donald Trump vowed to continue fighting for the Constitution after he was found guilty on all counts in the unprecedented NY v. Trump case, adding the “real verdict” will be read on Election Day. 

“This was a rigged, disgraceful trial. The real verdict is going to be November 5th by the people,” Trump said outside the court Thursday. 

“This was a rigged decision right from day one. With a conflicted judge who should have never been allowed to try this case. Never. And we will fight for our Constitution. This is long from over.” 

TRUMP FOUND GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS IN NY TRIAL

Former President Donald Trump returns to the courtroom during his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on Thursday, May 30, 2024 in New York.  (Michael M. Santiago/Pool Photo via AP)

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Trump pleaded not guilty in the case. 

TRUMP SAYS COSTLY TRIAL IS ‘PROVING MY POINT’ THAT COURTS ARE WEAPONIZED AGAINST HIM: ‘DISGRACE’

The jury found Trump guilty on all counts late Thursday afternoon. 

Former President Donald Trump returns to the courthouse moments before hearing that the jury had a verdict in his criminal trial at Manhattan Criminal Court, Thursday, May 30, 2024, in New York.  (Justin Lane/Pool Photo via AP)

“You have a Soros-backed DA and the whole thing. We didn’t do anything wrong. I’m a very innocent man. And it’s okay. I’m fighting for our country. I’m fighting for our Constitution. Our whole country is being rigged right now,” Trump continued. 

NY V. TRUMP: JURY TO CONTINUE DELIBERATIONS FOR 2ND DAY IN UNPRECEDENTED CASE

The jury’s verdict comes after deliberations on both Wednesday and Thursday. 

“This was done by the Biden administration in order to wound or hurt an opponent, a political opponent. And I think it’s just a disgrace. And we’ll keep fighting. We’ll fight till the end and we’ll win because our country’s gone to hell. We don’t have the same country anymore. We have a divided mess. We’re a nation of decline, serious decline,” Trump added. 

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The verdict comes after six weeks of trial in Manhattan court, which largely kept Trump off of the campaign trial.

Former President Donald Trump is getting a major assist from a top Republican mega-donor as he works to close his fundraising deficit with President Biden in their 2024 election rematch.

Multi-billionaire Miriam Adelson, the controlling shareholder of the Las Vegas Sands gambling empire, plans to bankroll a pro-Trump super PAC called Preserve America, a source with knowledge of her plans confirmed to Fox News.

The super PAC was set up during Trump’s unsuccessful 2020 re-election bid and is being re-launched to help the former president try to win back the White House in 2024.

Adelson and her late husband, casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, shelled out roughly $90 million to Preserve America four years ago. The source confirmed that the super PAC plans to increase its expenditures from what it spent in 2020 on behalf of Trump.

2024 SHOWDOWN: TRUMP TOPS BIDEN IN APRIL CAMPAIGN CASH DASH

Then-President Donald Trump bestows the presidential medal of freedom on Miriam Adelson, on November 16, 2018, at the White House in Washington D.C.  (Reuters)

Adelson, who is the largest single owner of Las Vegas Sands and a majority stakeholder in the Dallas Mavericks professional basketball team, is also a physician and philanthropist. She has a net worth of $33.3 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, or $29.5 billion, according to Forbes.

Trump has been working for months to win over Adelson, who remained neutral during the 2024 GOP presidential primaries. He met with her twice last year at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, and in Las Vegas, Nevada, as he attended the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership conference. Trump also dined with her in March at Mar-a-Lago and has spoken with her by phone a handful of times, sources confirm.

Adelson becomes the latest Republican mega-donor to financially support Trump. 

Last week, Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman said he would back the former president after previously calling for a “new generation of leaders” for the GOP.

ONE OF TRUMP’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL CAMPAIGN MANAGERS IS BACK

Trump has been aiming to close his fundraising gap with Biden, and in April his campaign and the Republican National Committee for the first time outraised the Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

Former President Donald Trump, the presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee, arrives for his campaign rally in Wildwood Beach on May 11, 2024, in Wildwood, New Jersey. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

While Trump has stepped up his fundraising, the Biden campaign still enjoyed an $84 million-to-$49 million cash-on-hand advantage at the end of April.

Preserve America will be steered by longtime Republican consultant Dave Carney. The hard-charging New Hampshire-based strategist has worked on numerous GOP presidential campaigns over the past four decades and for years has served as a top adviser to three-term Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

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“Joe Biden is ruining our country with high prices, open borders and weakness abroad,” Carney argued in a statement. “We’re going to do everything we can to stop him and return President Trump to the White House to put America First once again.”

File photos of President Biden (left) and former President Donald Trump  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon / Curtis Means/DailyMail.com via AP, Pool)

During the 2020 cycle, the super PAC was run by Chris LaCivita, another veteran Republican strategist who currently serves as a top adviser on Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.

Preserve America will become one of a handful of pro-Trump super PACs. The main super PAC has been MAGA Inc., which is being overseen by Trump ally and former adviser Taylor Budowich.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

FIRST ON FOX: Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers is firing back at Democrats after they accused him and other Republicans of committing fraud to obtain ballot access. 

In a letter to the Michigan Board of State Canvassers, a lawyer for Rogers slammed the state Democratic Party and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) over what he said were “reckless and unsubstantiated claims.”

Earlier this month, the Democratic Party entities urged the board to investigate potential fraud in the nominating petitions of several Republican Senate primary candidates, including Rogers, who once represented Michigan in the U.S. House. The groups called for “an immediate investigation of the petition sheets submitted by candidates Rogers, [Justin] Amash, [Sandy] Pensler, and [Peter] Meijer, and to invalidate all petition signatures appearing on petition sheets signed by circulators who are found to have engaged in fraud.”

SPEAKER JOHNSON PLANS TO INVITE ISRAEL’S NETANYAHU TO MEET WITH CONGRESS SOONER RATHER THAN LATER

Republican Senate primary candidate Mike Rogers is accusing Democrats of “election interference.” (Getty Images)

In calling for the investigations, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes said in a statement at the time, “The new indications of apparent fraud are deeply concerning and demand immediate action.” 

“Given that Michigan voters have now submitted declarations stating they did not sign the petitions, the Bureau of Elections and Board of Canvassers must uphold their responsibility to protect the integrity of Michigan’s elections and conduct a full, thorough investigation. The Board of State Canvassers must conclusively determine that the Republican Senate candidates have each submitted 15,000 valid signatures before taking any vote to certify them to appear on the ballot,” she continued. 

ANTISEMITISM AT YALE, UNIV. OF MICHIGAN TO FACE CONGRESSIONAL SCRUTINY

Democratic groups requested investigations into the nominating petitions of Republican Senate candidates. (Leigh Vogel/WireImage)

A spokesperson for Rogers claimed in a statement to Fox News Digital that the party entities were engaging in “election interference.” 

Rogers’ lawyer, Eric E. Doster, urged the board not to accept the petition deniers’ invitation to “engage in voter disenfranchisement,” he wrote in the letter. 

GOP SEN CALLS FOR CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO TRUMP TRIAL JUDGE OVER GAG ORDERS

Rogers is considered the frontrunner in a crowded Michigan Republican Senate primary. (Sam Wolfe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Michigan Board of State Canvassers did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication. 

“This blatant attempt at election interference is just the latest example of the disdain Democrats hold for Michigan voters and democracy at large,” said Rogers spokesperson Chris Gustafson. 

The Republican candidate has been endorsed by former President Trump in his primary race, and the campaign has come to his defense in public settings. 

According to a statement from Trump campaign Michigan spokesperson Victoria LaCivita, “Michigan Democrats have a long track record of election interference and creating systems open to fraud.”

BIDEN ADMIN QUESTIONED OVER ABORTION PILL PUSH WITHOUT PROPER ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY

Mike Rogers was endorsed by former President Trump in his primary race. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

“This latest scheme is based on fear of losing to President Trump and his Michigan GOP ticket in November. Using radical liberal lawyer Marc Elias underscores the truth: this is just a sad PR stunt to distract Michigan voters from the real issues at stake this November. Michiganders care about being able to afford gas and groceries and feeling safe in their homes and will see through this smokescreen,” she added. 

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The legal ballot feud comes as Michigan is again poised to be a big battleground state in the upcoming November election. In an April Fox News poll, Trump was up by three points over President Biden in the state, or 49% to 46% among registered voters. 

Further, with the exit of top incumbent Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., the race for the next Michigan senator is considered competitive, rated as “Lean Democratic” by nonpartisan political handicapper the Cook Political Report. The Republican and Democratic Senate primaries will be held on Aug. 6. 

Former President Trump is required to sit in the courthouse amid jury deliberations in the unprecedented NY v. Trump trial, where he has continued firing off Truth Social posts and holding press conferences.  

“Hey guys, I’m here with your favorite president. We’re cranking out a couple of mean tweets at the courthouse,” Donald Trump Jr., Trump’s eldest son, said in a TikTok video posted Wednesday. 

The video showed a glimpse behind the scenes of what Trump is up to during jury deliberations, with him seated at a table surrounded by a couple of stacks of papers and some snacks. 

The Trump campaign told Fox News Digital that Trump also has a TV in the room where he is awaiting a verdict in the trial. 

TRUMP SAYS COSTLY TRIAL IS ‘PROVING MY POINT’ THAT COURTS ARE WEAPONIZED AGAINST HIM: ‘DISGRACE’

Former President Trump speaks to members of the media before entering the courtroom with his attorney Todd Blanche at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 21, 2024, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Thursday marks day two of jury deliberations, with the 12-member body sitting in a closed-door room to discuss whether Trump is guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records. Prosecutors worked to prove that Trump falsified business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to former porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to quiet her claims of an alleged affair with Trump in 2006. 

Trump is required to be present in the courthouse, not the courtroom itself, in case the jury hands presiding Judge Juan Merchan a note. The jury handed Merchan two notes on Wednesday, including a request to hear his instructions again and another request to hear testimony again from former media publisher David Pecker and ex-Trump attorney and the prosecution team’s star witness, Michael Cohen. 

NY V. TRUMP: JURY TO CONTINUE DELIBERATIONS FOR 2ND DAY IN UNPRECEDENTED CASE

A court sketch depicts former President Trump’s appearance in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on April 19, 2024. (Christine Cornell)

As the jury continues weighing the case, Trump has continued posting to Truth Social. 

“Can anybody believe that our Government would be spending Tens of Millions of Taxpayer Dollars on prosecuting this RIDICULOUS Case? I DID NOTHING WRONG! IN FACT, I DID EVERYTHING RIGHT. The testimony in Court was amazing for the Defense!” Trump said in one post from Thursday morning. 

“Testimony conclusively showed that I clearly stated, ‘I DON’T BUY STORIES!’ — Not that there would be anything wrong with doing that — NDA’s are PERFECTLY LEGAL AND COMMON!” Trump said in another post. 

NY V. TRUMP: DEFENSE SAYS PROSECUTORS ‘DID NOT MEET THE BURDEN OF PROOF,’ FORMER PRESIDENT IS ‘INNOCENT’

Throughout the trial, Trump has held brief addresses to the press, including after jury deliberations began this week. He has stressed his claim that the trial is “rigged” against him, and said Wednesday that he is facing charges that Mother Teresa could not beat. 

Judge Juan Merchan imposed over a courtroom. (AP)

“The judge, who, as you know, is very conflicted and corrupt. Because of the confliction, very, very corrupt. Mother Teresa could not beat these charges. These charges are rigged. The whole thing is rigged,” Trump said late Wednesday morning as jury deliberations kicked off. 

NY V. TRUMP: PROSECUTION SAYS THEY HAVE PRESENTED ‘POWERFUL EVIDENCE’ AGAINST FORMER PRESIDENT

“The whole country is a mess, between the borders and fake elections, and you have a trial like this where the judge is so conflicted, he can’t breathe. He’s got to do his job. … it’s a disgrace. And I mean that, Mother Teresa could not beat those charges. But we’ll see. We’ll see how we do.” 

Former President Trump arrives at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (Yuki Iwamura/Pool via Reuters)

On Thursday, Trump again argued in public comment that Merchan is “corrupt” and “conflicted,” while arguing that the prosecutors in the case are “proving” his point that the legal system is weaponized against him. 

“Mike Davis: ‘The U.S. would sanction a country for doing this.’ I think that’s good. I think that’s good. Steve Hilton: ‘It seems that every single day these proceedings go on, the judge or the prosecutor just go out of their way to prove Trump’s point,'” Trump said while reading excerpts of legal experts’ insight into the case.

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Trump added after reading the excerpt, “…They are proving my point when you think. That’s why I write some of these things that are very sad.”

A verdict could be reached as soon as Thursday.  

Fox News Digital’s Brianna Herlihy contributed to this report. 

A new national poll is the latest to indicate that regardless of whether former President Trump is found guilty or acquitted in his criminal trial, the verdict will not have a large impact on voters’ perceptions in his 2024 election rematch with President Biden.

Two-thirds of registered voters nationwide questioned in a NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist National Poll released on Thursday said a guilty verdict in the trial would make no difference to their vote in the presidential election. Seventeen percent said a conviction of Trump would make them less likely to vote for him and 15% said they’d be more inclined to support the former president at the ballot box.

If Trump is acquitted, three-quarters of those surveyed said it wouldn’t impact their vote. Fourteen percent said a not guilty verdict would make them more likely to back Trump, and 9% said they’d be less likely to vote for the former president.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS DEVELOPMENTS IN THE TRUMP CRIMINAL TRIAL

Former President Trump sits in the courtroom during his trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 30, 2024, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Pool via Reuters)

Trump currently holds a slight edge over the president both in national polling and in public opinion surveys in most of the crucial battleground states that will likely decide their rematch.

But the pending verdict in the historic case – Trump is charged with 34 state felony charges in what is the first criminal trial in the nation’s history for a former or current president – could impact what’s shaping up to be a close contest with Biden.

Trump is charged with falsifying business records in relation to payments during the 2016 election that he made to Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about his alleged affair with the adult film actress. Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, paid Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, $130,000 in return for her silence about allegations of an affair with Trump in 2006. Prosecutors have argued that this amounted to illegally seeking to influence the 2016 election.

WARNING SIGNS FOR TRUMP AND BIDEN AS THEY CAREEN TOWARDS NEXT MONTH’S FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE 

Both Cohen and Daniels testified for the prosecution and were grilled by Trump’s attorneys during cross-examination in a case that has grabbed tons of attention on the cable news networks, online and on social media.

The former president has repeatedly denied falsifying business records as well as the alleged sexual encounter with Daniels, and he has repeatedly claimed, without providing evidence, that the case is a “SHAM TRIAL instigated and prosecuted directly from the inner halls of the White House and DOJ.”

Former President Trump, alongside his attorney Todd Blanche, speaks to the media as he arrives at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 30, 2024, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Pool via Reuters)

Trump has also been fined a couple of times and threatened with jail by the judge in the case for violating a gag order aimed at protecting witnesses and jurors from the former president’s verbal attacks.

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Veteran pollster Chris Anderson, a member of the Fox News Election Decision Team and the Democratic partner on the Fox News Poll, said he did not think “a guilty verdict would fundamentally change the landscape of the race.”

President Biden and former President Trump (AP Photo/Alex Brandon | Curtis Means/DailyMail.com via AP, Pool)

Daron Shaw, a politics professor and chair at the University of Texas who also serves as a member of the Fox News Decision Team and the Republican partner on the Fox News Poll, noted that “prior to 2020, no one would have thought that a candidate could survive a criminal conviction.”

“But times and circumstances have evolved. And while the specific findings of the jury could matter, I think there is a sense that a conviction in this case would not appreciably change the dynamics of the race,” Shaw emphasized.

Both pointed to the fact that “attitudes are so set in concrete” regarding both the former Republican president and his Democratic successor in the White House.

The Marist Poll for NPR and PBS NewsHour was conducted May 21-23, with 1,122 registered voters nationwide. The survey’s overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

A new national poll is the latest to suggest that President Biden is struggling for support with a key voting bloc in the Democratic Party’s base — younger voters.

The president stands at 50%, with former President Trump, Biden’s GOP challenger, at 48% among registered voters in a NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist National Poll released on Thursday.

The margin narrows to one, with the incumbent at 50% and his Republican predecessor in the White House at 49%, among the narrower group of those likely to vote in the presidential election this autumn.

And in a multi-candidate field, the survey indicates Trump edging Biden 44%-40%, with Democrat turned independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. at 8%, Green Party candidate Jill Stein at 3% and independent Cornel West with 2%.

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING IN THE 2024 ELECTION

President Biden, left, is struggling with younger voters in his rematch against former President Trump. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon | Curtis Means/DailyMail.com via AP, Pool)

One reason Biden is locked in a close contest with Trump is a weakening of support for the president among younger voters, whom he won by more than 20 percentage points four years ago, according to the Fox News Voter Analysis and other networks exit polls.

COULD VERDICT IN TRUMP CRIMINAL TRIAL UPEND PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION?

Fast-forward nearly four years and the survey indicates Biden edging Trump by only four points among voters under 45 and just six points among those aged 18-29.

“They don’t see a lot of connection to him,” Marist College Institute for Public Opinion director Lee Miringoff told Fox News as he pointed to younger voters. “They’re worried about the cost of living, which isn’t reserved just for them, but clearly, as they envision moving into adulthood, cost of living, housing costs, how to get into that next step seems to be an obstacle.… They’re seeing the economy as a lot of other voters do — laying it on Biden’s doorstep at the moment.”

President Biden speaks at the Washoe Democratic Party Office in Reno, Nevada, on March 19. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The new survey is the latest to indicate rising support for Trump among the nation’s youngest voters.

Biden led Trump 45%-37% among people ages 18 to 29 in a Harvard Youth Poll released last month by the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics. Biden’s eight-point advantage over the former president was much smaller than his 23-point lead over Trump at the same point four years ago in the 2020 election cycle.

The president’s lead over Trump widened to 50%-37% among registered voters under age 30, and to 56%-37% among those likely to cast a ballot in the November election. 

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However, even Biden’s 19-point margin among likely voters under age 30 was much smaller than his 30-point lead over Trump four years ago.

The Harvard University poll suggested Trump has made major gains among young male voters.

“Democrats have lost significant ground with young men,” the poll’s release highlighted.

Former President Trump speaks during a campaign event in Wildwood, New Jersey, on May 11. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The new survey by Marist for NPR and PBS NewsHour indicates that less than a quarter of younger voters approve of the job Biden’s doing as president. And while more than six in 10 hold an unfavorable opinion of the president, Trump has an above-water 49%-42% favorable/unfavorable rating.

But in an opening for Biden, only 54% of Generation Z and millennials questioned in the survey said they’ve definitely made up their minds regarding whom they’ll vote for in the presidential election.

The Marist Poll for NPR and PBS NewsHour was conducted May 21-23, with 1,122 registered voters nationwide. The survey’s overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

The Biden campaign in March launched Students for Biden-Harris, which is focused on building a large volunteer base of younger supporters using different student-run groups nationwide.

And Biden — who at age 81 is the oldest president in American history — was endorsed as part of that launch by 15 groups of Gen Z and millennial voters.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

House Speaker Mike Johnson is poised to extend a formal invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of Congress amid the country’s war with terrorist group Hamas. 

The Louisiana Republican is expected to send the invite sometime in the next eight weeks. If not in that time frame, the Israeli prime minister could be invited to speak after the August recess, in September, per a senior Johnson spokesperson. The timeline for the invitation was first reported by Punchbowl News. 

Johnson’s office said Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has agreed to the joint address by Netanyahu despite his recent call for new elections in Israel during the war and pressure from the left flank of Democrats for him to oppose it. 

ANTISEMITISM AT YALE, UNIV. OF MICHIGAN TO FACE CONGRESSIONAL SCRUTINY

House Speaker Mike Johnson, inset left, is preparing to formally invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, inset right, to speak to a joint session of Congress despite the public breaks between President Biden and the country. (Getty Images)

When previously asked about the possibility, Schumer told reporters, “Look, I’m discussing that now with the speaker of the House, and as I’ve always said, our relationship with Israel is ironclad and transcends any one prime minister or president.”

This comes as Democrats and the Biden administration itself continue to break with Israel publicly, with the White House most recently coming out against a bipartisan effort to sanction the International Criminal Court over warrants requested against Netanyahu and another Israeli official. 

“The United States said that they would, in fact, back the sanctions bill,” Netanyahu told host Morgan Ortagus on her Sirius XM show, which is set to air Sunday, as Politico first reported. “I thought that was still the American position because there was bipartisan consensus just a few days ago.”

GOP SEN CALLS FOR CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO TRUMP TRIAL JUDGE OVER GAG ORDERS

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was surprised and disappointed by the White House’s stance on ICC sanctions. (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP, File)

The Israeli prime minister said, “frankly, I’m surprised and disappointed” in President Biden. 

The stance against bipartisan-supported sanctions on the ICC is the latest public break the administration has had with Israel. 

While the White House said it rejected the ICC’s decision and did not believe it had jurisdiction, “We don’t believe that sanctions against the ICC is the right approach here, no,” National Security Council coordinator John Kirby said. 

BIDEN ADMIN QUESTIONED OVER ABORTION PILL PUSH WITHOUT PROPER ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY

President Biden, right, previously warned Israel against certain actions in Rafah. ((Fox News/Getty Images))

Israel has come under renewed scrutiny for its actions in Rafah, a southern city along the Gaza Strip. The country has launched attacks targeting senior Hamas leaders in the area, resulting in significant civilian casualties. The move has drawn the elevated ire of activists and lawmakers who have already been critical of the country’s actions in Gaza. 

BIDEN WHITE HOUSE REJECTS ICC SANCTIONS PROPOSED BY LAWMAKERS AFTER ISRAEL WARRANT REQUESTS

Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during an Israeli military operation in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 28, 2024. (REUTERS/Hatem Khaled)

Biden had sent a clear message to Israel not to move forward with an offensive in Rafah, even claiming, “I made it clear that if they go into Rafah – they haven’t gone in Rafah yet – if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities – that deal with that problem,” in a recent interview on CNN. 

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However, the administration has suggested the red line laid out by the president was not violated by Israel’s latest actions in Rafah. “As a result of this strike on Sunday, I have no policy changes to speak to,” Kirby told reporters after the strike. 

Neither the White House nor Schumer’s office immediately provided comment to Fox News Digital.

Former President Donald Trump said prosecutors in the costly and unprecedented NY v. Trump trial are “proving” his point that the legal system is weaponized against him. 

“‘This is becoming a three-card Monte game on: Where is the crime?’ Smart guy. Where’s the crime?” Trump said Thursday outside the Manhattan courtroom, reading insight from Fox News contributor and legal scholar Jonathan Turley before reading excerpts from other experts. “Mike Davis: ‘The U.S. would sanction a country for doing this.’ I think that’s good. I think that’s good. Steve Hilton: ‘It seems that every single day these proceedings go on, the judge or the prosecutor just go out of their way to prove Trump’s point.'”

Trump added after reading the excerpt: “…They are proving my point when you think. That’s why I write some of these things that are very sad.”

Trump has continually slammed the case as a “sham” and that presiding Judge Juan Merchan is “corrupt” and “conflicted,” appearing to refer to the judge’s familial ties to the Democratic Party. Trump has also lambasted the case as “lawfare” promoted by the Biden administration to hurt his chances of succeeding in the 2024 presidential election. 

NY V. TRUMP: JURY TO CONTINUE DELIBERATIONS FOR 2ND DAY IN UNPRECEDENTED CASE

Former U.S. President Donald Trump, alongside his attorney Todd Blanche, speaks to the media as he arrives for his criminal trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 30, 2024 in New York City. Judge Juan Merchan gave the jury their instructions, and deliberations are entering their second day. The former president faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial.     (Michael M. Santiago/Pool via REUTERS)

Trump is back in court Thursday as the jury continues deliberations regarding whether Trump is guilty of falsifying 34 business records. Prosecutors worked to prove that Trump falsified business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to former porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to quiet her claims of an alleged affair with Trump in 2006. 

NY V. TRUMP: DEFENSE SAYS PROSECUTORS ‘DID NOT MEET THE BURDEN OF PROOF,’ FORMER PRESIDENT IS ‘INNOCENT’

Trump has pleaded not guilty to all counts and denied an affair with Daniels. 

Former U.S. President Donald Trump exits Trump Tower to attend his criminal trial over charges that he falsified business records to conceal money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, at Manhattan criminal court, in New York City, U.S., May 30, 2024.  (REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz)

Amid the trial, Trump has repeatedly noted that security surrounding the trial has prevented most people from coming within blocks of the courthouse, which he again cited Thursday while lamenting the trial is costing the city “millions.” 

TRUMP URGES JUDGE MERCHAN TO ‘SAVE HIS REPUTATION’ BY DISMISSING TRIAL

“It’s a disgrace. The millions and millions of dollars that are spent daily on this case. Outside, it looks like it’s Fort Knox … I’ve never seen so many policemen. Now, with Columbia University, you can plant a tent right in front of the main door no problem. NYU, just put your tent, don’t worry about it … But I just want to say that this is a very sad day for America. The whole world is watching and it’s a very sad day for New York,” he said. 

“It’s all rigged, the whole system is rigged.” 

Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s children, Tiffany Trump, Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump with his wife Lara sit next  to Trump in a front row,  as defense lawyer Todd Blanche presents closing arguments during Trump’s criminal trial on charges that he falsified business records to conceal money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, in Manhattan state court in New York City, U.S. May 28, 2024 in this courtroom sketch. (REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg )

“The outside world is watching and the outside world is just not going to bring their business to New York. And that’s going to cost the city trillions and the state trillions and trillions of dollars. Businesses are leaving and people are fleeing,” Trump added before heading into the courtroom. 

NY V. TRUMP: PROSECUTION SAYS THEY HAVE PRESENTED ‘POWERFUL EVIDENCE’ AGAINST FORMER PRESIDENT

Single and The City began in New York City where founder Amber Soletti was working in the beauty industry and struggling to find her person.  (iStock)

Court kicked off at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, when Merchan again read his jury instructions after the jury sent two notes to the judge on Wednesday. In New York criminal cases, juries are not allowed to receive printed copies of jury instructions or witness transcripts. 

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Trump is required to remain in the courtroom as the jury considers the case in the event they send a note to the judge. 

A verdict could be reached as soon as Thursday. 

Former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page have settled with the Justice Department over alleged privacy rights violations after the release of their disparaging text messages leveraged by former President Trump to challenge the Russia investigation during his presidency. 

The settlement is still pending finalization and approval from a judge.

A tentative agreement was filed Tuesday resolving Page’s 5-year-old lawsuit against the FBI for releasing text messages with Strzok — with whom she had an affair — that were critical of the former president. Strzok’s lawsuit seeking backpay and reinstatement remains unsettled.

Page sought $1,000 in compensation following the leak of her text messages to the media. Additional details about the settlement were not immediately available.

COULD VERDICT IN TRUMP CRIMINAL TRIAL UPEND THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION?

Peter Strzok and Lisa Page are former FBI officials whose extramarital affair came to light amid a release of their anti-Trump text messages. (Chip Somodevilla/Staff I Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Contributor)

In 2019, Strzok argued in a court filing in Washington, D.C., federal district court that his politically charged anti-Trump messages were protected by the First Amendment even though he sent them on bureau-issued phones while playing leading roles in the probes into both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

Strzok, once the FBI’s head of counterintelligence, said he was entitled to “develop a full factual record through discovery,” and that it would be premature to dismiss the case at this early stage. He went on to argue that the DOJ’s position would “leave thousands of career federal government employees without protections from discipline over the content of their political speech.”

NY V. TRUMP: FORMER PRESIDENT UNLEASHES SOCIAL MEDIA FIRESTORM AHEAD OF JURY DELIBERATION

Page also filed suit against the FBI and Department of Justice, alleging the government’s publication of her salacious text messages with Strzok constituted a breach of the Federal Privacy Act.

Page’s complaint also sought reimbursement for “the cost of childcare during and transportation to multiple investigative reviews and appearances before Congress,” the “cost of paying a data-privacy service to protect her personal information” and attorney’s fees.

Former President Trump, a Republican presidential candidate, sits in the courtroom during his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City May 21, 2024.  (Michael M. Santiago/PoolAFP via Getty Images)

In a later filing, according to CNN, Strzok’s lawyers wrote that the defendants “should not be heard to complain about the notoriety and putative damage to the FBI’s reputation from Strzok’s speech when it was their own illegal disclosures, magnified and distorted by the false attacks made by the President and his allies, that placed a spotlight on Strzok’s opinions.”

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Ex-FBI official Peter Strzok was fired in 2018 for sending anti-Trump texts. (Reuters)

The two were involved in the FBI’s initial counterintelligence investigation into Russian meddling and potential collusion with Trump campaign associates during the 2016 election and later served on special counsel Robert Mueller’s team.

In 2020, the spotlight was on the lovers’ scandal during a live performance titled “FBI Lovebirds: UnderCovers” at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which was based on the anti-Trump text messages shared between the former agents. Trump has called the couple the “FBI lovebirds” during his rallies. 

Fox News’ Gregg Re and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

First lady Jill Biden was blasted on social media on Wednesday after she said during an interview that President Biden is “calm” and “steady” compared to former President Trump, who represents “chaos.”

“We have a choice, this is what I’m out there saying. We have a choice we can have my husband who is calm, and steady and strong and has character and integrity or we have the other choice, which is chaotic,” Biden told “Good Morning America” on Wednesday. “We have to decide. Democracy or chaos.”

The comment drew immediate criticism on social media from conservatives skeptical of the portrayal of Biden as “calm” and “steady.”

“This doesn’t work this time. Does anything feel calm?” conservative commentator Stephen L. Miller posted on X.

JESSE WATTERS: BIDEN IS AN ANGRY RECLUSE OBSESSED WITH HIS LEGACY

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden.

“Narrator: He’s incredibly weak, has a history of anger problems, and has so little integrity that he can’t give a simple speech without telling multiple, already-debunked lies,” Red State writer Bonchie posted on X.

Biden has often been criticized for seemingly losing his cool in recent years. In 2019, he appeared to call an Iowa man “fat,” and a “damn liar.” He later denied calling him fat, claiming he was saying “facts” instead.

Since becoming president, there have been multiple reports of him being prone to angry outbursts at staff and others when not in the public eye. A report last year detailed how he had referred to former President Trump as a “f—ing a–hole” and a “sick f—“

An Axios report detailed how Biden has such a temper that aides try not to meet him alone, in fear of facing his wrath. His admonitions reportedly include “”Godd— it, how the f— don’t you know this?!,” “Don’t f—-ing bulls— me!” and “Get the f— out of here!”

“No one is safe,” one administration official told the outlet.

Biden’s tactics generally came in the form of “angry interrogations” until it became apparent to others in the room that they did not know the answer to a question. It allegedly became so routine that staff named it “stump the chump.”

In March, the White House pushed back against an NBC News report that said Biden is growing anxious and angry about his re-election bid.

“There’s a report that when President Biden was told his handling of the war between Israel and Hamas was starting to affect his poll numbers, the quote is he began to shout and swear. So when he does that, is he shouting and swearing about Netanyahu or about Hamas or about his poll numbers?” Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

“This is the ‘when did you stop beating your spouse’ question because I don’t think he ever did that,” Sullivan responded. 

BIDEN BECOMING INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED AND WORRIED OVER RE-ELECTION EFFORTS: REPORT

First lady Jill Biden. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Human Rights Campaign)

“Excuse me?” Doocy interjected, before Sullivan continued. 

“Well you use that as the premise of your question, which is when he does that. He – I’ve never seen him do that shout or swear in response to that. So from my perspective, that particular report is not correct,” Sullivan said. 

Biden’s anger was on display in February when he reacted to a special counsel report about his mishandling of classified documents. He called some assertions “plain wrong.”

“There’s even reference that I don’t remember when my son died. How the hell dare he raise that? Frankly, when I was asked the question, I thought to myself it wasn’t any of their damned business,” he said.

“I am well-meaning, and I’m an elderly man and I know what the hell I’m doing,” he said.

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A new poll shows President Biden with just a 41% approval rating. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

He also was not keen on some questions from reporters. “My memory is so bad, I let you speak,” he snapped at Doocy.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

President Biden on Wednesday promised to nominate progressives to the Supreme Court if he wins a second term in the White House.

Biden made the pledge at a “Black Voters for Biden-Harris” rally in Philadelphia, where he predicted that more than one Supreme Court justice will retire in the next four years.

“The next president, they’re going to be able to appoint a couple justices, and I’ll be damned — if in fact we’re able to change some of the justices when they retire and put in really progressive judges like we’ve always had, tell me that won’t change your life,” Biden told his audience. 

The president’s comments emphasize what is at stake in the next election for both conservatives, who have lauded their 6-3 majority on the court in recent years, and progressives who have decried landmark rulings ending federal protections for abortion and expanding gun rights.

FIRST LADY JILL BIDEN WARNS ‘THE VIEW’ ‘WE WILL LOSE ALL OF OUR RIGHTS’ IF TRUMP GETS ANOTHER SCOTUS JUDGE

President Biden delivers remarks during a campaign event at Girard College in Philadelphia, on Wednesday May 29, 2024. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Biden’s remarks also serve as a reminder that several justices are in their seventies. Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, both conservatives appointed by Republican presidents, are 75 and 74, respectively. Sonia Sotomayor, a progressive appointed by President Obama, will turn 70 next month.

TRUMP AHEAD OF BIDEN IN THESE KEY SWING STATES: POLL

Supreme Court Justices posing for an official photo at the Supreme Court. (OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)

If one or more justices retire, the next occupant of the White House will fill that vacancy and may reshape the composition of the court for decades. Former President Trump had three such opportunities during his term in office, appointing conservative Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barret — who solidified the current conservative majority.

With the election a little more than six months away, the Biden campaign is sounding the alarm on what could happen if Trump wins as polls show a tight race. 

SUPREME COURT JUSTICE ALITO ADDRESSES FLAG INCIDENTS, SAYS HE WON’T RECUSE HIMSELF IN TRUMP, JAN. 6 CASES

President Biden speaks during a campaign event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 29, 2024. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

First lady Jill Biden said Wednesday there would be disastrous results and a loss of human rights if Trump is re-elected in November.

“We will lose all of our rights,” she said on “The View.” She had warned earlier that “we cannot take things for granted, and think of the Supreme Court for God’s sake. Talk about things getting worse? Can you imagine if we put any more Republicans on the Supreme Court? No!”

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The rhetoric from the Biden campaign echoes Trump’s 2016 strategy after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, with a pending Supreme Court appointment. Trump promised to nominate a conservative who would overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that established constitutional protections for abortion, and he even released a list of people he was considering for the position.

Biden in 2020 promised to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court if given the opportunity. He did so after Justice Stephen Breyer retired at age 83, nominating Ketanji Brown Jackson to fill the vacancy.

Fox News’ Alexander Hall contributed to this report.

Trump supporters, who gathered outside the New York City courtroom on Wednesday where the former president is facing criminal charges, rallied in support of him and sounded off on the “judicial lynching” they say he is facing with the trial.

“I love Trump and I love what he did for me and my people, Black people, he really helped us out,” a Black New Yorker wearing a Trump hat told Fox News Digital.  “What they doing right now is really ridiculous, these court cases and everything that they doing towards him…they trying to stop the momentum from winning the election.”

“It ain’t happening man, we f— with Trump, Black people we really with Trump.”

COULD VERDICT IN TRUMP CRIMINAL TRIAL UPEND THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION?

Trump Protestors and Opponents weigh in on Trump trial (Fox News Digital)

The man went on to dismiss the idea that the Biden administration is defending “Black America.”

“Biden ain’t for no Black America,” the man continued. “I lost everything since Biden been in, I had a whole limousine business, I had a whole car business selling cars, buying and selling cars, that all went down the drain when Biden got in. I had to go now sleep in the God d—  car. I don’t get a free hotel like immigrants get.”

NY V TRUMP: FORMER PRESIDENT UNLEASHES SOCIAL MEDIA FIRESTORM AHEAD OF JURY DELIBERATION

Former President Donald Trump returns from a lunch break for his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 28, 2024 in New York City.  (Julia Nikhinson-Pool/Getty Images))

“We gotta get them outta there,” the man, who identified himself as being from New York, said about politicians who say there is “no place for Trump in New York.” 

“They don’t do nothing for us, AOC don’t do nothing for us,” he added.

“This is a judicial lynching, he did nothing wrong,” a white man wearing a “Gays for Trump” shirt told Fox News Digital on Wednesday afternoon.  “He will be found innocent, even if he isn’t and he’s railroaded by the Democratic Marxist party, I will vote for him regardless of the outcome.”

Conservative activist and artist Scott LoBaido also spoke to Fox News Digital outside the courtroom and said the court is “humiliating not only Donald Trump” and “not only us” but “the judicial system itself.”

“I’m here to return the favor and humiliate them,” LoBaido, who unveiled a portrait he painted mocking actor Robert DeNiro who was strongly criticized for bashing Trump outside the courtroom on Tuesday, told Fox News Digital.

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New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan  listens as former U.S. President Donald Trump watches as Stormy Daniels is questioned by defense attorney Susan Necheles during Trump’s criminal trial on charges that he falsified business records to conceal money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, in Manhattan state court in New York City, U.S., May 9, 2024 in this courtroom sketch. (REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg)

“This guy’s a cry baby, spoiled rotten, he doesn’t understand these people that can’t afford a dozen eggs, can’t afford gas, that have illegal aliens rampaging through their neighborhoods, crime, he’s protected, and for him to call us haters of Democracy? No.” 

Not everyone gathered outside the New York City courtroom had glowing things to say about the former president including one Black man who told the camera that Trump has “released a spirit of delusion” and a “spirit of division.”

Jurors in the case were handed their final instructions on Wednesday and were sent out to deliberate on Trump’s guilt in the 34 charges against him stemming from allegations he improperly covered up an NDA agreement with porn star Stormy Daniels. Trump has pleaded not guilty on all counts and dismissed the allegations as a political prosecution.

The jury went home for the day around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday and is set to resume deliberations on Thursday morning.

Fox News Digital’s Matteo Cina contributed to this report

Former President Trump unleashed a social media firestorm ahead of the jury in his New York trial beginning deliberations on Wednesday.

Court began shortly after 10:00 a.m. ET with Judge Juan Merchan reading the deliberation instructions to the jury before they seek to reach a verdict on the charges of falsification of business records against the former president.

“KANGAROO COURT! A CORRUPT AND CONFLICTED JUDGE. RELIANCE ON COUNSEL (ADVISE OF COUNSEL) NOT ALLOWED BY MERCHAN, A FIRST,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. 

NY V. TRUMP: JUDGE MERCHAN TO PRESENT JURY WITH INSTRUCTIONS AHEAD OF DELIBERATIONS

Former President Trump unleashed a social media firestorm ahead of jury deliberations beginning in his New York trial. (Donald Trump/Truth Social)

“HIS RULINGS, ON A CASE THAT SHOULD, ACCORDING TO ALL LEGAL SCHOLARS AND EXPERTS, NEVER HAVE BEEN BROUGHT, HAVE MADE THIS A BIDEN PUSHED WITCH HUNT. THERE WAS NO CRIME, EXCEPT FOR THE BUM THAT GOT CAUGHT STEALING FROM ME! IN GOD WE TRUST!” he wrote.

Trump later posted various statements from commentators defending him over the case, and a post railing against the gag order imposed on him by Merchan.

“THE D.A.’s OFFICE WAS ALLOWED TO GO ON WITH 5 HOURS OF BULL…. YESTERDAY. I have no rights against this Crooked Judge’s Gag Order!” he wrote.

NY V TRUMP: DEFENSE SAYS PROSECUTORS ‘DID NOT MEET THE BURDEN OF PROOF,’ FORMER PRESIDENT IS ‘INNOCENT’

Republican presidential candidate former President Trump attends his criminal trial at the New York State Supreme Court in New York City on Wednesday. (Doug Mills/Pool via Reuters)

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all counts. 

The jury instructions came after a full day of closing arguments were delivered by New York prosecutors and Trump defense attorneys. 

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Prosecutors needed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump falsified records to conceal a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels, a pornographic performer, in the lead-up to the 2016 election to silence her about an alleged affair with Trump in 2006. The former president has maintained his innocence.

Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

A New York jury will continue deliberations for a second day Thursday in the historic and unprecedented criminal trial of former President Trump. 

Judge Juan Merchan delivered jurors instructions to consider charges brought against the former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee. 

Merchan on Wednesday afternoon instructed the jury not to discuss or research the case. 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all counts. 

NY V. TRUMP: DEFENSE SAYS PROSECUTORS ‘DID NOT MEET THE BURDEN OF PROOF,’ FORMER PRESIDENT IS ‘INNOCENT’

Former President Trump gestures while returning from a break during his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court May 28, 2024, in New York City. (Getty)

Court resumes at 9:30 a.m. Thursday. 

During deliberations Wednesday, the jury sent two notes to the judge, including a request to hear his instructions again about how to consider evidence. 

The jury also asked to hear testimony again from former American Media, Inc. CEO David Pecker and ex-Trump attorney Michael Cohen. 

Merchan said the court was still looking to locate the requested testimony. Merchan estimated it would take approximately 30 minutes to read back. 

Former President Trump, flanked by attorneys Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, arrives for his criminal trial at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York, N.Y., Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (Jabin Botsford/Pool via Reuters)

The jury can decide if it wants to stay until 6 p.m. Thursday evening to continue its deliberations, if necessary. 

Trump spoke to reporters after the first day of deliberations. 

NY V. TRUMP: PROSECUTION SAYS THEY HAVE PRESENTED ‘POWERFUL EVIDENCE’ AGAINST FORMER PRESIDENT

“You have a very, very — I mean — what is very unfair is that I’m not campaigning. In this room all day long, from morning to night in the Biden witch hunt,” Trump said.

Trump lamented “a lot of key witnesses” were not called by the prosecution he says should have been. He didn’t name names due to his gag order.

Former President Trump, a Republican presidential candidate, attends his criminal trial at the New York State Supreme Court in New York, N.Y., Wednesday, May, 29, 2024.  (Doug Mills/Pool via Reuters)

“Because of the gag order, I won’t go down into individual names, but you have a lot of big players, very big players that would have solved their problem or actually would have given us the win. We already have the win. … If we had a fair judge, this case would have been over a long time ago,” Trump said.

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“The other thing, the confusion is nobody knows what the crime is because there’s no crime. Nobody knows what the crime is. The DA didn’t name the crime. They don’t know what the crime is. That’s what the problem is. It’s a disgrace.

“This thing ought to be ended immediately. The judge ought to end it and save his reputation.”

The sound of laughter was revealing.

Inside the media room at the hush money trial, say those who were there, many of the reporters openly chuckled when the prosecutor took jabs at Donald Trump. They found that quite amusing.

For all the craziness surrounding the first criminal trial of a former president, the closing arguments – and the judge’s confusing instructions – packed some surprises. Now the media’s biggest challenge is filling air time and column inches – let’s bring in ex-jurors from other cases! – while waiting for the seven men and five women to deliver a verdict.

TRUMP STRATEGY: HITTING BLUE AREAS, COURTING MINORITIES AND UNFRIENDLY AUDIENCES

The consensus of those who were there is that Trump lawyer Todd Blanche, who has little experience in such cases, spoke in a monotone EXCEPT FOR OCCASIONALLY RAISING HIS VOICE. At least his summation lasted only three hours.

Josh Steinglass of the Manhattan D.A.’s officer was far more passionate and animated, but he spoke for an eye-glazing five hours. Who on earth thought that was a smart idea? The jurors clearly lost focus as he got into the weeds of calls and emails, then repeated much of it, and kept them there until 8 p.m.   

How much information is the jury supposed to absorb?

Former President Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower on his way to Manhattan criminal court, Monday, April 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

That was equally true yesterday as Judge Juan Merchan spent an hour on the crucial jury instructions that only lawyers could love.

If someone testified falsely, you can disregard his entire account.

Michael Cohen, whose credibility was savaged by the defense, is an “accomplice.”

IT FEELS ‘HORRIBLE’ WAITING FOR JURY TO DELIBERATE: CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY

The jury can’t convict on Cohen’s word alone, but can use his testimony if it’s corroborated with other evidence.

The extent of the defendant’s participation doesn’t matter as long as there’s a “general intent to defraud.” Ah, but intent does not require premeditation.

The defendant must be found to have falsified business records or caused them to be falsified.

Former President Trump sits in the courtroom during his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 21, 2024, in New York City.  (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

As long as the jury agrees on the facts, they can use different reasoning, whether it applies to, say, election fraud or taxes. 

And the mystery crime that supposedly boosts this into felony territory? A violation of New York election law, about which we’d heard almost nothing.

Whew. Got that?

JUDGE MERCHAN ‘MUDDIED UP THE WATERS’ TO TRY AND MAKE TRUMP TRIAL A ‘VERY COMPLICATED CASE’: JUDGE JEANINE PIRRO

It comes down to the jurors just using their common sense.

Todd Blanche scored some points, such as branding Cohen the GLOAT (Greatest Liar of All Time). But he left several gaping holes.

The defense lawyer began by saying that Trump and Stormy Daniels have repeatedly denied that a sexual encounter took place in 2006. Well, Stormy did lie about it in exchange for the money from Cohen, but she just as obviously now insists there was a hookup, as she testified.

Blanche said the president may have been too busy to focus on the 11 reimbursement checks he signed for Cohen. He argued that there was no email showing a conspiracy – uh, even incompetent criminals who have seen a couple of mob movies know you don’t leave a paper trail.

Blanche said the National Enquirer didn’t engage in catch-and-kill deals with the Trump campaign – of course they did, while the term wasn’t used, and that was confirmed by David Pecker.

The biggest shortcoming: The Trump defense didn’t address the emails, texts, Signal messages and banking records that back up Cohen’s account – because they don’t have an alternative version of events.

Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, walks out of a Manhattan courthouse after testifying before a grand jury, in New York, United States on March 15, 2023.  ((Photo by Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images))

The prosecution tried to knock down Blanche’s argument that Cohen did legal work for Trump and his wife in 2017 which the president might have thought was legitimate. But Cohen devoted less than 10 hours to that work and, Steinglass said, had spent more time being cross-examined at the trial.

Yes, Cohen lied over the years, Steinglass said, yes he stole from the Trump Organization, but now he’s just a “tour guide” for the evidence. Right.

The prosecutor said Trump’s team had “shamed” Stormy and suggested her story has not changed over the years. Of course it has!

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Steinglass did rebut the argument that there was no panic as the media pursued the porn star after the “Access Hollywood” tape by citing Hope Hicks’ saying they all felt Trump could lose the election.

The most absurd moment for the prosecution came when he hypothetically reenacted a 90-second call in which Cohen claims he both complained about harassing calls from a 14-year-old and discussed the Stormy situation with Trump. Only took 46 seconds! But if you don’t buy that, Steinglass said, maybe Cohen got the date wrong.

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Oh, and who in the Biden campaign thought it was a brilliant idea for Robert De Niro to show up at the courthouse and start slamming Trump?

Jury instructions concluded on Wednesday in the New York City criminal trial against former President Trump after the jury was given several critical directions on how to determine the guilt or innocence of the former president, including one controversial instruction that Fox News Contributor Jonathan Turley called the “coup de grace.”

“Merchan just delivered the coup de grace instruction,” Turley explained. “He said that there is no need to agree on what occurred. They can disagree on what the crime was among the three choices.  Thus, this means that they could split 4-4-4, and he will still treat them as unanimous.”

Judge Juan Merchan also instructed the jury on knowledge of a conspiracy, according to Fox News’ Lydia Hu, who was inside the courtroom on Wednesday. 

“He said, mere knowledge of a conspiracy does not make [the] defendant a co-conspirator. Prosecutors must prove intent,” Hu reported.  “Also, being present with others when they form a conspiracy does not mean that the defendant is a part of the conspiracy.”

COULD VERDICT IN TRUMP CRIMINAL TRIAL UPEND THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION?

On Wednesday, Judge Juan Merchan, left, revealed the framework a Manhattan jury will use to consider the charges against former President Trump and reach a verdict. (Getty Images)

Hu reported that the instruction makes former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s testimony related to his phone call to Trump advising about the Stormy Daniels NDA issues “very important” because if a juror believes that Cohen was advising Trump of the specific NDA and attempting to get a “sign off” to set up the bank account and LLC that a “juror could maybe find intent on behalf of Trump.”

The jury was told that if they have a question on the law, they should send in a note asking to revise and that the foreperson, the first juror selected, does not need to write the note or even agree.

NY V TRUMP: FORMER PRESIDENT UNLEASHES SOCIAL MEDIA FIRESTORM AHEAD OF JURY DELIBERATION

Tiffany Trump and Eric Trump’s wife Lara sit in the front row next to former President Trump as defense lawyer Todd Blanche presents closing arguments during Trump’s criminal trial on charges that he falsified business records to conceal money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, in Manhattan state court in New York City on May 28, 2024 in this courtroom sketch. (REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg )

Judge Merchan told the jury that in order to find the defendant guilty, the prosecutors are required to prove that on or about Feb. 14, 2017, former President Trump personally made or caused a false entry in business enterprise, specifically an invoice from his ex-lawyer Michael Cohen.

Second, jurors must conclude that Trump did so with intent to commit another crime or intent to conceal another crime. That leaves 33 remaining counts, each for falsifying business records.  The only difference between the counts is a different business record or date. The jury can ask to repeat the law in its entirely as many times.

“Merchan has instructed that the first count of falsifying business records in the first degree must show that Trump made or caused a false entry to be made,” Turley reported. “Intent means conscious or purpose to defraud. Intent does not require an intent to defraud any particular person or entry but a general intent to defraud.”

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Michael Cohen is questioned by prosecutor Susan Hoffinger on re-direct during former President Trump’s criminal trial on charges that he falsified business records to conceal money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, in Manhattan state court in New York City on May 20, 2024 in this courtroom sketch. (REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg )

Turley continued, “Merchan said that the crime being committed was the NY election law by ‘unlawful means.’ However, that ‘unlawful means’ is shown when there is a showing of intent to cause actions or the performance of conduct.”

The jurors will not be allowed to leave the jury room during deliberations and will have to give their cell phones to a court officer. Jurors can only discuss the case among themselves and can only deliberate when they are all gathered in the jury room.

Jurors were instructed to work until 4:30 p.m.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records linked to alleged hush money payments to Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.

Fox News’ Maria Paronich, Lydia Hu, and Shannon Bream contributed to this report.

Former President Trump vowed he would win the 2024 presidential election as the jury in the NY v. Trump case on Wednesday began deliberations regarding charges the 45th president says “Mother Teresa could not beat.”

“The judge, who, as you know, is very conflicted and corrupt. Because of the confliction, very, very corrupt. Mother Teresa could not beat these charges. These charges are rigged. The whole thing is rigged,” Trump said late Wednesday morning as jury deliberations kicked off. 

“The whole country is a mess, between the borders and fake elections, and you have a trial like this where the judge is so conflicted, he can’t breathe. He’s got to do his job. … it’s a disgrace. And I mean that, Mother Teresa could not beat those charges. But we’ll see. We’ll see how we do.” 

The jury began deliberations before noon on Wednesday after a lengthy day in court on Tuesday, when they heard closing arguments from both the defense team and a lengthy closing argument from the district attorney’s office. 

ROBERT DE NIRO CLAIMS TRUMP ‘COULD DESTROY THE WORLD’ OUTSIDE MANHATTAN COURT

Former President Trump attends his criminal trial at the New York State Supreme Court in New York City on Wednesday. (Doug Mills/Pool via Reuters)

Trump is facing 34 counts of falsifying business records. Prosecutors worked to prove that Trump falsified business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to former porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to quiet her claims of an alleged affair with Trump in 2006. 

Trump continued in his comments Wednesday that he will win the 2024 election despite the trial. 

In this courtroom sketch, former President Trump listens next to his daughter Tiffany Trump as defense lawyer Todd Blanche presents closing arguments in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on Tuesday. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg )

“We’re going to win this election. Nov. 5 is going to be the most important day in the history of our country. We’re going to take back our country from these fascists and these thugs that are destroying us with inflation and with everything they do. How stupid they are — allowing 15, 16, 17 million people into our country. Totally unvetted, totally unchecked. We’re going to bring back our nation Nov. 5. Remember the most important day in the history of our country. In the meantime, this trial is rigged,” he said. 

TRUMP PREVIEWS CLOSING ARGUMENTS IN ‘SHAM TRIAL’: ‘VERY DANGEROUS DAY FOR AMERICA’

Defense attorneys for Trump told the jury Tuesday that he is innocent and did not commit any crimes, adding that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg “did not meet the burden of proof. Period.” 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, right, speaks during a press conference on Feb. 8. (Barry Williams for NY Daily News via Getty Images)

“President Trump is innocent. He did not commit any crimes. The district attorney did not meet the burden of proof. Period,” Trump attorney Todd Blanche said. 

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass made a more than five-hour closing argument Tuesday that lasted until 8 p.m., telling the jury that his office had presented “powerful” evidence against Trump. 

Former President Trump speaks to the media on May 13. (Seth Wenig/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

“The name of the game was concealment and all roads lead inescapably to the man who benefited the most: the defendant, former President Donald Trump,” Steinglass said.

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Amid the prosecution team’s lengthy closing arguments, Trump posted to Truth Social a one-word summation of the court proceedings: “BORING!”

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report.