Inside the New York courtroom where Donald Trump was convicted on all counts in his historic criminal trial, there was so much tension it felt like you were watching a movie.
From my seat in the third row, directly behind Trump’s advisors and lawyers, I had a clear view of the former president shaking his head in disgust when the first of 34 verdicts were read out.
As he walked out of the 15th floor courtroom a newly convicted man, his son Eric extended his fist and Trump met it in a fist bump.
The former President had a face like thunder and a pout that did little to hide his fury at being found guilty on all counts of falsifying business records.
Inside the New York courtroom where Donald Trump was convicted on all counts in his historic criminal trial, there was so much tension it felt like you were watching a movie
The reading of the verdict couldn’t have been scripted better to crank up the tension – right down to a surprise twist at the end.
At 4.15pm on Thursday everyone began to return to the courtroom for what we thought was the end to the day.
Judge Merchan said he planned to send the jury home at 4.30 and for the next 15 minutes, everyone including Trump, more than 100 journalists and the prosecutors sat in the courtroom on the 15th floor, waiting.
Trump was laughing and joking with his lawyer Todd Blanche at the defense table. At one point Blanche was laughing so much he put his hand over his face.
But just after 4.30pm the mood changed dramatically when Judge Merchan said the jury had sent a note, their fourth.
They had a verdict.
As he walked out of the 15th floor courtroom a newly convicted man, his son Eric extended his fist and Trump met it in a fist bump
There was a loud gasp in the room and the tension shot through the roof.
Judge Merchan told everyone in the court there should be ‘no outbursts’ when the verdict came in.
The jury note asked for 30 minutes to fill out the form – which ran to 40 pages – and so we had to wait again.
Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney, came in and sat in the public gallery.
The six alternate jurors filed in and sat in front of him.
Now Blanche was putting his hand to his face again – this time nervously.
Just after 4.30pm the mood changed dramatically when Judge Merchan said the jury had sent a note, their fourth. They had a verdict
The former President had a face like thunder and a pout that did little to hide his fury at being found guilty on all counts of falsifying business records
As the time ticked by, a female clerk in the well of the court closed her eyes and took a few breaths in and out.
Reporters struggled with the patchy wifi and one journalist’s computer ran out of batteries.
Suddenly Judge Merchan came back in and called in the jury.
Eleven court security officers stood guard along with four Secret Service agents as the jury filed back in, walking just over 1ft away from Trump as he stood at the defense table.
Nobody looked him in the eye.
Judge Merchan told the jury he had received their note timed at 4.20pm. He asked the foreman if they had reached a verdict, and he said yes.
The foreman, a former waiter who works in sales for a cosmetics company, stood up and took a microphone that was passed to him.
A court officer read out the first count to him and asked him: ‘How say you?’
To a stunned silence in the courtroom, the foreman said: ‘Guilty’.
The officer read through two more counts, and each time the foreman said the same, guilty.
Trump shook his head as the third was read out.
The officer read through two more counts, and each time the foreman said the same, guilty. Trump shook his head as the third was read out
The court officer went through each of the 34 counts and each time the verdict was the same: guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty.
The foreman’s voice only wavered once, but otherwise he spoke in a clear voice that was heard around the world.
Trump stared ahead as the verdicts mounted up, apparently stunned or unsure what to make of the decision.
The judge asked the jury if it was indeed their verdict and they said yes in unison.
Then each was asked if that was their verdict and the replied in turn ‘yes it is’ or ‘yes’.
As phones buzzed with updates showing the verdict, Judge Merchan paid tribute to the jury and hailed their ‘dedication and hard work’
He said they were ‘involved and engaged’ and said ‘you gave this matter the attention it deserved;
In a hopeless hail mary, Blanche asked for the judge to enter an order of acquittal.
He said: ‘There’s no basis and no way this jury could have reached this verdict without believing the testimony of Mr Cohen’, referring to Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen.
Trump holds his fist into the air as he greets a waiting crowd in Manhattan outside Trump Tower
Blanche said: ‘We believe he lied, there was perjury committed’
Judge Merchan denied the request.
Blanche asked for a sentencing date in mid or late July as Trump faces a three day hearing in the documents case in Florida in late June and they would ‘not be able to focus on this matter’ if it was before then.
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass did not object and the judge set sentencing for July 11th at 10am
The judge inquired about Trump’s bail status and prosecutors said that there he was released on his own recognizance. Judge Merchan said that would continue.
Trump stood up, fist bumped Eric and walked out with the angry scowl on his face.
By the time he had got outside the courtroom doors he had recovered his senses, blasting the verdict as ‘rigged’ in one of his customary tirades.
