Calls conviction 'rigged,' claims to be 'political prisoner' in fundraising email

The day after his historic criminal conviction, Trump held a press conference and launched fundraising appeals characterizing the unanimous jury verdict as a "rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt." He sent a fundraising email declaring "I WAS JUST CONVICTED IN A RIGGED TRIAL. I AM A POLITICAL PRISONER!" despite being a free man campaigning for president. President Biden responded that it was "dangerous" for Trump to call the trial rigged, noting the jury was selected partly by Trump's own lawyers and the charges were brought by a local district attorney, not the federal government. Multiple fact-checkers noted Trump's claims of a "rigged" trial were false - the jury was selected through standard procedures and the judge followed New York law. Trump's attacks on the legitimacy of the verdict represented an assault on the judicial system.

"This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt. It's a rigged trial, a disgrace." — Press conference the day after conviction, May 31, 2024