‘Great damage’: Elon Musk set to host Trump town hall after ripping NYC guilty verdict
SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk is set to hold a town hall with former President Donald Trump, as reported shortly after the former president was criminally convicted in New York City on Thursday. Trump is expected to answer submitted questions with Musk on a live stream that will also be broadcast on NewsNation, The New York Post reported on Friday. It is expected that Trump will answer submitted questions during the live stream event, which will also be broadcast in a partnership deal with cable channel NewsNation, the Wall Street Journal reported. The exact timing of the town hall on X, a platform Trump was suspended from three years ago, is not clear. ‘RIDICULOUS’: TOP BIDEN STAFFER GRILLED FOR ‘ASTOUNDING’ CLAIM ABOUT NOT TARGETING ELON MUSK Fox News Digital reached out to Musk’s team and the Trump campaign but did not immediately receive a response. “This will be interesting,” the tech billionaire posted on X. ELON MUSK FIRES BACK AT ROBERT DE NIRO FOR COMPARING TRUMP TO HITLER, MUSSOLINI: ‘MAKES NO SENSE’ The original plan was for the event to be a debate before the Biden campaign declined an invitation due to the previously negotiated debates scheduled with Trump, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the event and the Biden campaign’s thinking. Musk is also reportedly planning a similar town hall with independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Musk spoke out on X following the news of Trump’s conviction in his criminal trial, arguing that the development chips away at the faith Americans have in their legal system. “Indeed, great damage was done today to the public’s faith in the American legal system,” Musk posted on the platform he owns. “If a former President can be criminally convicted over such a trivial matter – motivated by politics, rather than justice – then anyone is at risk of a similar fate.” Trump and Musk have recently developed a friendly relationship, and they reportedly speak on the phone several times a month. Musk is also believed to be under consideration for an advisory role if Trump returns to the White House.
Biden camp blasts ‘unhinged’ Trump response to verdict, accuses him of ‘sowing chaos’
The Biden-Harris 2024 campaign on Friday responded to former President Donald Trump’s “unhinged” speech from Trump Tower, accusing him of being “confused” and “desperate” while “sowing chaos.” “America just witnessed a confused, desperate, and defeated Donald Trump ramble about his own personal grievances and lie about the American justice system, leaving anyone watching with one obvious conclusion: This man cannot be president of the United States,” Biden-Harris 2024 Communications Director Michael Tyler said in a statement. “Unhinged by his 2020 election loss and spiraling from his criminal convictions, Trump is consumed by his own thirst for revenge and retribution. He thinks this election is about him. But it’s not. It’s about the American people: lowering their costs, protecting their freedoms, defending their democracy. “That’s what Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are fighting for. Donald Trump is sowing chaos, attacking the rule of law, and fighting for the only thing in the world he gives a damn about: Donald Trump.” HOW TRUMP GUILTY VERDICTS MAY IMPACT THE 2024 REMATCH WITH BIDEN The campaign’s comments came after Trump delivered lengthy remarks on Friday morning from Trump Tower in New York following his unprecedented trial resulting in the conviction of 34 counts of falsifying business records. Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee for the 2024 election, said that he wished he testified in his criminal trial, though it appears he was given counsel otherwise. “I would have testified. I wanted to testify,” Trump said from the podium. WHAT TRUMP TOLD FOX NEWS DIGITAL FOLLOWING THE VERDICT “The theory is you never testify because as soon as you testify — anybody, if it were George Washington — don’t testify because they’ll get you on something that you said slightly wrong, and then they’ll sue you for perjury.” “But I didn’t care about that. I wanted to,” Trump reiterated. Trump was charged by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts. LEGAL EXPERTS SAY TRUMP CONVICTION IS A ‘TARGET RICH ENVIRONMENT’ FOR APPEAL Sentencing is scheduled for July 11, just four days before the Republican National Convention opens in Milwaukee. Each count carries a maximum prison term of four years, resulting in Trump facing a potential total of 136 years behind bars. Following the verdict, support from Republican lawmakers poured in on social media. “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.” GOP lawmakers in both chambers have rallied behind Trump and called for their colleagues to endorse the former president in the November election over the last year. Over 100 House Republicans and over two dozen Senate Republicans — including the Senate GOP Conference — endorsed Trump. Fox News’ Brianna Herlihy contributed to this report.
Schumer urges Trump allies to let legal process ‘move forward’ after guilty verdict
As Republican lawmakers weigh holding hearings to scrutinize prosecutors in the New York v. Trump trial, the Senate’s top Democrat is pleading with allies of former President Trump to let the legal process play out as Trump looks to appeal his guilty verdict. “The undeniable fact is Donald Trump went through the same legal process that all Americans go through, he was tried according to the facts and the law, and he was found guilty by a jury of his peers,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Friday in a statement. ‘BOOM’: DEMOCRATS CELEBRATE TRUMP GUILTY VERDICT AS BIDEN WEIGHS REMAINING THREAT “He’s now a convicted felon,” the New York Democrat added. Trump vowed to appeal the verdict in remarks to the press in New York City on Friday morning. ‘ELECTION INTERFERENCE’ CLAIMS MUDDY BATTLEGROUND STATE POLITICS AMID COMPETITIVE RACES “As Donald Trump considers his next steps within the legal system, there should continue to be no outside political influence, intimidation, or interference. I encourage Mr. Trump’s supporters and critics alike to let the process move forward according to the law,” said Schumer. SPEAKER JOHNSON PLANS TO INVITE ISRAEL’S NETANYAHU TO MEET WITH CONGRESS SOONER RATHER THAN LATER Schumer’s second statement on the Trump verdict — the first of which came on X on Thursday night — followed House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan’s demand that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and prosecutor Matthew Colangelo appear next month for a hearing regarding “the unprecedented political prosecution of President Trump.” Trump was found guilty by a New York jury on Thursday on 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up payments that were made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, with whom he allegedly had an affair.
Biden says Trump ‘should’ have opportunity to appeal conviction, grins and ignores questions
President Biden said Friday after former President Donald Trump was found guilty in his New York criminal trial “he’ll be given the opportunity, as he should, to appeal that decision, just like everyone else has that opportunity.” Biden added that it was “reckless, it’s dangerous, it’s irresponsible for anyone to say this was rigged just because they don’t like the verdict.” A jury convicted Trump Thursday on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. “The American principle that no one is above the law was reaffirmed. Donald Trump was given every opportunity to defend himself. It was a state case, not a federal case. And it was heard by a jury of 12 citizens, 12 Americans, 12 people like you, like millions of Americans who’ve served on juries,” Biden said at the White House. “This jury is chosen the same way every jury in America is chosen. It was the process that Donald Trump’s attorney was part of.” LIVE UPDATES: TRUMP RAILS AGAINST ‘RIGGED’ CONVICTION “The jury heard five weeks of evidence, five weeks. And after careful deliberation, the jury reached a unanimous verdict. They found Donald Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts. Now, he’ll be given the opportunity, as he should, to appeal that decision, just like everyone else has that opportunity. That’s how the American system of justice works,” Biden continued. “And it’s reckless, it’s dangerous, it’s irresponsible for anyone to say this was rigged just because they don’t like the verdict,” Biden concluded. “Our justice system has endured for nearly 250 years and it literally is the cornerstone of America. Our justice system, that justice should be respected. And we should never allow anyone to tear it down. It’s as simple as that. That’s America. That’s who we are. And that’s who will always be, God willing.” Biden then spoke about a proposal to bring an end to the Israel-Hamas war. Following those remarks, reporters in the room asked Biden again about the Trump verdict, but he refused to respond. “Mr. President, can you tell us, sir, Donald Trump refers to himself as a political prisoner and blames you directly. What’s your response to that, sir?” one reporter asked Biden as he was walking away. Biden then turned around and cracked a grin at the media before heading out of the room. TRUMP SAYS HE WOULD HAVE ‘LOVED’ TO TESTIFY IN NEW YORK CRIMINAL TRIAL Meanwhile, Trump’s campaign warned Biden Friday to “buckle up” following the verdict. “Crooked Joe Biden and the Democrats confined President Trump to a courtroom for more than eight hours a day for more than six weeks, and he’s still winning,” Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital. “Now that he is fully back on the campaign trail, Biden and the Democrats better buckle up.” Then at a press conference at Trump Tower in New York, the former president said he “wanted to testify” on his own behalf, but that “the theory is you never testify.” “It’s very important, far beyond me,” Trump said about the case. “And this can’t be allowed to happen to other presidents. It should never be allowed to happen in the future. But this is far beyond me. This is bigger than Trump. This is bigger than me. This is bigger than my presidency,” he said. Trump’s campaign also announced Friday that it had hauled in $34.8 million in fundraising from 6 p.m. ET to midnight on Thursday, in the hours after the verdict was read. They said the haul was “nearly double the biggest day ever recorded for the Trump campaign on the WinRed platform” and emphasized that the guilty verdicts “have awakened the MAGA movement like never before.” Fox News’ Brooke Singman, Brianna Herlihy and Kyle Morris contributed to this report.
Trump guilty verdict reveals split among former GOP presidential primary opponents
Former President Donald Trump’s Republican presidential primary opponents offered a variety of reactions to the guilty verdict in his New York City trial, ranging from blasting Democrats for pursuing the charges against him to complete silence. The jury found Trump guilty Thursday on all 34 counts of falsifying business records related to the hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the lead up to the 2016 presidential election. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott posted a video of himself on X blasting what he called a “hoax,” a “sham” and evidence of an “obsolete injustice justice system.” TRUMP VP CONTENDERS TORCH ‘GUARANTEED’ GUILTY VERDICT: ‘COMPLETE TRAVESTY’ “DA Bragg and the judge should be ashamed of themselves. This isn’t just ridiculous, this actually erodes the confidence that Americans have in the justice system. Unbelievable,” Scott said. “But good news is coming. DA Bragg, hear me clearly. You cannot silence the American people. You cannot stop us from voting for change. Joe Biden’s injustice, Joe Biden’s two-tier injustice system, weaponizing the justice system of the United States of America against a political opponent, un-American. Joe Biden, you’re fired. We the people stand with Donald Trump.” North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum wrote, “This verdict is a travesty of justice. The judge was a Biden donor. The prosecutors were Biden supporters. This Lawfare should scare every American. The American people will have their say in November,” while entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy predicted the trial’s outcome would ultimately backfire, referencing District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s promise to “nail Trump,” and Judge Juan Merchan’s daughter being a “Democratic operative.” Former Vice President Mike Pence told Fox News Digital Trump’s conviction was “an outrage and disservice to the nation.” “No one is above the law, but our courts must not become a tool to be used against political opponents. To millions of Americans, this was nothing more than a political prosecution driven by a Manhattan DA who ran for office on a pledge to indict the former president and this conviction undermines confidence in our system of justice,” he said. RFK JR UNLEASHES ON BIDEN, DEMS AFTER ACCUSING THEM OF ‘WEAPONIZING’ COURTS AGAINST TRUMP “This conviction also sends a terrible message to the wider world about the American justice system and only further divides us at a time when the American people are struggling under the failed policies of the Biden administration at home and abroad. Having been convicted in a court of law, the former president has every right to appeal this conviction and I trust it will be overturned on appeal in a manner that will restore public confidence in our system of justice and equal treatment under the law.” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote, “Today’s verdict represents the culmination of a legal process that has been bent to the political will of the actors involved: a leftist prosecutor, a partisan judge and a jury reflective of one of the most liberal enclaves in America — all in an effort to ‘get’ Donald Trump.” “That this case — involving alleged misdemeanor business records violations from nearly a decade ago — was even brought is a testament to the political debasement of the justice system in places like New York City,” he wrote. “This is especially true considering this same district attorney routinely excuses criminal conduct in a way that has endangered law-abiding citizens in his jurisdiction.” “If the defendant were not Donald Trump, this case would never have been brought, the judge would have never issued similar rulings, and the jury would have never returned a guilty verdict. In America, the rule of law should be applied in a dispassionate, even-handed manner, not become captive to the political agenda of some kangaroo court.” TRUMP SAYS GUILTY VERDICT IS A ‘SCAR’ ON NEW YORK JUSTICE SYSTEM, VOWS TO ‘KEEP FIGHTING’ Conservative commentator Larry Elder called the verdict an “outrage” and declared that “a monster has been unleashed.” “If Democrats don’t think Republican AGs and DAs can’t unleash lawfare on Democrat politicians, think again!!!” he added. Businessman Perry Johnson wrote, “Today marks a troubling chapter in American history. This was always a political maneuver, not a legal one. The Biden Administration’s weaponization of the justice system is evident, showing that Democrats will go to any lengths to silence and eliminate political rivals.” “The American people recognize this as lawfare, and they understand its peril. President Trump will rightly appeal this unjust verdict — and he WILL WIN!” he added. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a staunch Trump critic, took a different, not-so-surprising approach, calling on the verdict to be respected. “It is not easy to see a former President and the presumptive GOP nominee convicted of felony crimes; but the jury verdict should be respected. An appeal is in order but let’s not diminish the significance of this verdict,” he wrote. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and former Texas Rep. Will Hurd have so far remained silent since the verdict was handed down. Representatives of Haley did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. A spokesperson for Christie declined to comment. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
How Texas Speaker Dade Phelan turned the tide to keep his seat
After coming in second in the primary, Phelan was at a disadvantage heading into the runoff. With record breaking cash infusions, Phelan blanketed airwaves and hired an army of campaign staffers.
Trump says he would have ‘loved’ to testify in New York criminal trial
Former President Donald Trump delivered lengthy remarks Friday morning from Trump Tower in New York following his unprecedented trial resulting in the conviction of 34 counts of falsifying business records. Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee for the 2024 election, said that he wished to have testified in his criminal trial N.Y. v. Trump, though it appears he was given counsel otherwise. “I would have testified. I wanted to testify,” Trump said from the podium. “The theory is you never testify because as soon as you testify – anybody, if it were George Washington — don’t testify because they’ll get you on something that you said slightly wrong, and then they’ll sue you for perjury.” “But I didn’t care about that. I wanted to,” Trump reiterated. LEGAL EXPERTS SAY TRUMP CONVICTION IS A ‘TARGET RICH ENVIRONMENT’ FOR APPEAL But, he said, Judge Juan Merchan “allowed them to go into everything that I was ever involved in. Not this case – everything that I was ever involved in, which is a first.” “In other words, you could go into every single thing that I ever did. Was he a bad boy here? Was he a bad boy there? And my lawyer said, ‘Why do you need to go through it? All you wanted to do is testify simply on this case.’” “Because I would have loved to have testified, to this day I would have liked to have testified,” Trump said. “But you would have been, you would have said something out of whack like it was a beautiful sunny day, and it was actually raining out,” Trump said, seemingly recalling a conversation with his legal counsel. “And I very much appreciate the big crowd of people outside. That’s incredible what’s happening. The level of support has been incredible,” Trump immediately added. Trump was charged by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts. TRUMP GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS IN NEW YORK CRIMINAL TRIAL Prosecutors needed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump falsified business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels, a former porn star, in the lead-up to the 2016 election – in an effort to silence her about an alleged affair with Trump in 2006. They were ultimately successful. Trump has denied the affair throughout the trial. “So the whole thing is this legal expense was marked down as legal expense,” Trump said on Thursday. “Think of that.” Trump said fighting the case against him is “very important, far beyond me. And this can’t be allowed to happen to other presidents. It should never be allowed to happen in the future. But this is far beyond me. This is bigger than Trump. This is bigger than me. This is bigger than my presidency.” Sentencing is slated for July 11, four days before the Republican National Convention. Each count carries a maximum prison sentence of four years. In total, Trump faces a maximum sentence of 136 years behind bars. NY V TRUMP: PROSECUTION SAYS THEY HAVE PRESENTED ‘POWERFUL EVIDENCE’ AGAINST FORMER PRESIDENT “We’re losing our country,” Trump said during his remarks that lasted roughly 40 minutes. He took no questions from the media. “And I really think that this is an event… what took place yesterday with this judge that we have conflicted… he’s a crooked judge. And you’ll understand that. And I say that knowing that it’s very dangerous for me to say that. And I don’t mind because I’m willing to do whatever I have to do to save our country and to save our Constitution. I don’t mind,” Trump added.
‘Disservice to the nation’: Former VP Pence breaks silence on Trump’s NYC conviction
FIRST ON FOX: Former Vice President Mike Pence reacted on Friday to the criminal conviction of former President Donald Trump in a New York City courtroom and said a “terrible message” has been sent. “The conviction of former President Trump on politically motivated charges is an outrage and disservice to the nation,” Pence told Fox News Digital. “No one is above the law, but our courts must not become a tool to be used against political opponents,” Pence continued. “To millions of Americans, this was nothing more than a political prosecution driven by a Manhattan DA who ran for office on a pledge to indict the former president and this conviction undermines confidence in our system of justice.” DE NIRO SAYS TRUMP GUILTY VERDICT MEANS ‘JUSTICE WAS SERVED’ “This conviction also sends a terrible message to the wider world about the American justice system and only further divides us at a time when the American people are struggling under the failed policies of the Biden administration at home and abroad,” he added. Pence continued, “Having been convicted in a court of law, the former president has every right to appeal this conviction and I trust it will be overturned on appeal in a manner that will restore public confidence in our system of justice and equal treatment under the law.” Trump was found guilty on Thursday on all counts in his historic and unprecedented criminal trial, making him the first former president of the United States to be convicted of a crime. Moments after the verdict was delivered by the jury, the former president spoke to reporters in the hallway outside the courtroom. “This was a disgrace. This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt, as a rigged trial and disgrace. It wouldn’t give us a venue change,” Trump said. “We were at 5% or 6% in this district, in this area. This was a rigged, disgraceful trial.” Trump said “the real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people.” RFK JR UNLEASHES ON BIDEN, DEMS AFTER ACCUSING THEM OF ‘WEAPONIZING’ COURTS AGAINST TRUMP Pence joined a long list of Republicans who are defending Trump against the conviction and has previously voiced opposition to the indictment against Trump. “I think the unprecedented indictment of a former president of the United States on a campaign finance issue is an outrage,” Pence told CNN in March 2023. “And it appears to millions of Americans to be nothing more than a political prosecution.” Pence, whose relationship soured with Trump after the January 6 riots wherein the president faulted him for refusing to send disputed electoral slates back to state legislatures in his then-role as president of the Senate, said in March he is not endorsing the former president. “It should come as no surprise that I will not be endorsing Donald Trump this year,” Pence told Fox News at the time. “I’m incredibly proud of the record of our administration. It was a conservative record that made America more prosperous, more secure and saw conservatives appointed to our courts in a more peaceful world.” Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz and Brooke Singman contributed to this report
Biden’s move to lift financial restrictions on notorious dictatorship triggers backlash
Cuban American lawmakers lambasted the Biden administration after the U.S. Treasury announced it would be lifting some financial restrictions on Cuba. Treasury officials said the adjustments are aimed at helping independent businesses and supporting “internet-based services to promote internet freedom in Cuba, support independent Cuban private-sector entrepreneurs, and expand access to certain financial services” for Cubans, who have been under dictatorial control since the 1959 revolution. The Treasury’s revisions will enable private business owners in the Caribbean nation to establish stateside bank accounts that they can manage from Cuba. These changes will facilitate the processing of transactions between the two countries via the U.S. financial system. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., who was born in Havana, called the changes ill-advised and claimed any supposed free enterprise in a totalitarian system means slackening regulations which only help the regime. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Gimenez called the move another step toward wrongheadedly opening up relations with the Cuban dictatorship, citing 60-plus years of “suppressing and oppressing its people.” BLOODIED PRO-CUBA DEMONSTRATOR SLAMS BIDEN: CUBANS DON’T WANT VACCINES, THEY WANT FREEDOM “The Biden administration decides it’s a good time now to reward them by giving them access to the American banking system. The fact they would even think that there is such a thing as ‘free enterprise’ in Cuba is beyond the pale,” he said. Gimenez, whose district’s edge lies 90 miles from Cuba, said it is definitive that anyone with a “private business” there is somehow tied to the government. Gimenez also said the Treasury’s decision is helping the Cuban government at a time when it is in peril, remarking the adjustments “provide oxygen to the regime when we should be strangling the regime.” He said the move is only the latest in a Democratic habit of trying to engender good feelings with the Cuban regime, pointing to how other lawmakers and former President Obama have traveled there and met with either the now-deceased Castros or current leader Miguel Diaz-Canel’s government. “How in the world do you justify something like that? You just can’t unless you yourself are either a socialist or a communist,” he said, adding that he believes the only way to provide true freedom to the Cuban people is through regime change, which can only be obtained organically, by the Cuban people, and with the express backing of the U.S. government. ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRISIS CAN BE HELPED BY THREATENING TO WITHHOLD FUNDS FROM CUBA: PIRRO “[Cuba] is our greatest enemy in our hemisphere. They are the cause of the cancer that’s spreading around South America. They are directly linked to Venezuela and Nicaragua. And they’re also allies of Russia, China, Iran and North Korea,” Gimenez said. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., characterized the Treasury’s move as a political maneuver sought by President Biden looking for gains on the foreign policy front. “President Biden’s concessions to the Cuban regime, notorious for its oppression, are deeply troubling,” Rubio said in a statement. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., who represents Miami’s “Little Havana”, also criticized the Treasury Department, saying its announcement makes a “mockery of American law – considering no progress has been made toward freedom on the island and repression has intensified.” In comments to Fox News Digital, Salazar added that she has been pressing the Biden administration for some time against their overtures toward opening U.S. banks to “independent Cuban business owners,” echoing claims the actions will only help Diaz-Canel. Johana Tablada de la Torre, an official in Cuba’s American Affairs department, described the changes as “limited” and largely rendered ineffective by the continuing U.S. embargo, in comments to The Associated Press. She also said the Cuban government will not get in the way of the changes if they are truly meant to help the people of Cuba. Fox News Digital also reached out to relevant Democrats on the matter but did not receive responses by press time. The Treasury directed Fox News Digital to transcribed comments from senior administration officials. One official said the administration understands the Cuban economy’s “dire straits.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Against this backdrop, we have seen the Cuban Government grudgingly open space to a nascent, yet growing private sector. While cuentapropistas – or self-employed proprietorships – have been legal for some years, in 2021 the Cuban government also legalized the creation of [moderate]-sized enterprises,” the official said. The White House also responded to criticism with a National Security Council spokesperson telling Fox News Digital the regulations are a “critical tenet of the Biden Administration’s policy towards Cuba that advocates respect for human rights and support for the Cuban people.” “It is ironic that some members of Congress would criticize U.S. policies that support the struggling entrepreneurs that are the best hope for bringing capitalism to Cuba,” the NSC spokesperson said, denying the regulations are concessions to Havana.
What awaits Trump if he appeals New York conviction
Former President Trump is widely expected to appeal his conviction in his New York criminal trial after this week, launching the case to the New York appeals courts and potentially beyond. Trump’s appeal would send the case to the First Judicial Department of New York’s Appellate Division, a group of 21 justices. The presiding justice is Dianne Renwick, who was appointed by Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in 2023. Of those justices, just one was appointed by a Republican: Justice David Friedman, who was appointed in 1999 by then-Gov. George Pataki. Each of the others was appointed by a Democratic governor. A sizable majority were appointed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, however, with 14 justices owing their appointments to the now-disgraced politician. Hochul has appointed three justices to the division in addition to Renwick. Two were appointed by David Paterson, who left office in 2010. LEGAL EXPERTS SAY TRUMP CONVICTION IS A ‘TARGET RICH ENVIRONMENT’ FOR APPEAL This does not mean that the court will automatically be stacked against the former president. Trump and his legal team have presented cases to the First Department before, and as recently as this week they have had some success. On Thursday, a five-judge panel from the First Department sided with Trump in a ruling clearing the way for him to sue his niece, Mary Trump. WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS NATIONAL POLL SHOWS IN THE BIDEN-TRUMP PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION REMATCH The five judges included Associate Justices Sallie Manzanet-Daniels, Barbara Kapnick, Ellen Gesmer, Linet Rosado and Friedman. The judges upheld a prior ruling with their decision, saying that Trump has standing to sue his niece for breaching confidentiality agreements made in a 2001 settlement over the estate of Fred Trump Sr., the former president’s father. The court’s ruling had no impact on whether Trump’s lawsuit will be successful. His original lawsuit called for his niece to hand over $100 million in damages. The court says he may still be successful in securing funds. “At a minimum, nominal damages may still be available on the breach of contract claim even in the absence of actual damages,” the court wrote. If Trump’s case goes beyond the Appellate Division, it would head to the New York State Court of Appeals. That court includes seven judges, all of whom were appointed by a Democrat governor: Shirley Troutman, Madeline Singas, Jenny Rivera, Rowan Wilson, Michael Garcia, Anthony Cannataro, and Caitlan Halligan. WARNING SIGNS FOR TRUMP AND BIDEN AS THEY CAREEN TOWARD NEXT MONTH’S FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE Troutman joined the court after a nomination from Hochul in 2021. Hochul also nominated Halligan in April 2023. Meanwhile, Singas received her nomination from Cuomo. Cuomo is once again responsible for a majority of the court’s members, nominating Rivera in 2013, Garcia in 2016, Wilson in 2017 and Cannataro in 2021. Should Trump remain unsuccessful through those two courts, he could try to have his appeal heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, of which six out of nine justices were appointed by Republicans – three by Trump himself. Some legal experts say the case brought against Trump by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg will have “reversible problems” when appealed. “I believe that the case will be reversed eventually either in the state or federal systems,” Jonathan Turley, constitutional law attorney and Fox News contributor, said Thursday. “However, this was the worst expectation for a trial in Manhattan,” he said. “I had hoped that the jurors might redeem the integrity of a system that has been used for political purposes.” “The trial is a target rich environment for appeal. However, that appeal will stretch beyond the election. In the meantime, Democrats and President Biden can add ‘convicted felon’ to the political mantra,” he added.