Trump plays with grandchildren as allies stew over ‘hush money’ verdict: ‘Like a funeral at Mar-a-Lago’
Former President Donald Trump spent part of the morning after his hush money trial conviction playing with his grandchildren at Trump Tower — while sources told Page Six the mood among his closest allies was “gloomy and gloomier.”
Daughter-in-law Lara Trump posted a video to her Instagram Story of the 45th president hugging his grandchildren at his midtown penthouse — with granddaughter Carolina gifting a drawing with hearts and grandson Eric Jr. greeting the ex-commander in chief with an embrace.
Lara and first son Eric Trump were spotted leaving Trump Tower later in the afternoon with their children and a nanny.
Despite the joyous scene, sources say the general mood in Trumpworld has been dampened by the guilty verdict announced Thursday evening. The former president gave a 33-minute speech Friday morning in which he maintained his innocence, then departed at midday for his club in Bedminster, NJ.
“It’s like a funeral at [Mar-a-Lago],” according to one insider, who later added, “There was hope all day [Thursday] and then none!”
Former first lady Melania Trump and the couple’s 18-year-old son, Barron, joined the 45th president in New York City on Thursday, meeting him in the evening following the jury announcement a little after 5 p.m.
Melania was not with Trump at the courthouse, but was spotted going into Trump Tower later in the evening.
“Everyone but Ivanka has gathered around Trump at Trump Tower,” a source said Thursday night. “Melania and Barron [were] smuggled in through the side entrance. People who saw Trump go into the elevator in the building said he’s ‘finally looking older and tired.’”
Trump spoke to all his children in the aftermath of the ruling, an insider added, noting “everyone is upset” at the outcome of the case.
“Trump talked to both Melania and all his children, including Ivanka. [But] Trump says the real verdict will take place in November when the people vote,” the person noted..
Another source noted that Melania and Ivanka Trump were being “very quiet” after the verdict and speculated that meant the former president’s loved ones “expected” the conviction.
“This is a verdict we were expecting, we’re going to appeal, and we’re going to win on appeal,” Trump attorney Todd Blanche confirmed to NBC’s “Today” show Friday morning.
“Shock and surprise at what happened? Not really. We didn’t think we’d get a fair shake in Manhattan and we didn’t.”
Ivanka Trump, who has kept her distance from her father’s 2024 campaign, broke her silence hours after the verdict Thursday, posting a childhood picture of her and her father on her Instagram Story with the caption: “I love you dad.”
Sources close to the former White House adviser and first daughter say her focus on her family rather than politics has not changed as a result of Thursday’s unprecedented verdict, with one source predicting it would “put a damper on Ivanka’s entry into the campaign, and she’ll probably now wait until the convention” to get involved, if she does at all.
The source added of the mood in Trumpworld: “Everyone was hoping for him to get off or at least get a hung jury … the fact it happened rather quickly has everyone in a tizzy.
“But Trump’s friends say it’s not unexpected, and they’re prepared for the next steps including the appeal.”
The jury convicted the former president on every count brought by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg after debating for 11 hours across two days.
A big Trump donor summed the mood up by saying: “What a bummer!”
“Everyone says Melania and the entire family are rallying around the former president. But the mood is nonetheless gloomy and gloomier right now. It’s definitely viewed as a downer at Mar-a-Lago,” another insider told Page Six.
Trump is the first former president in US history to be found guilty of a crime. His sentencing hearing is set for July 11 — one week before he formally accepts the Republican presidential nomination — and he will walk free until then.
The guilty verdict does not prevent Trump from running for or holding office, and he is unlikely to go to jail, given that he’s a first-time offender and due to the non-violent nature of the crime.
“This was a disgrace,” Trump told reporters Thursday after the verdict. “This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt as a rigged trial, a disgrace. They wouldn’t give us a venue change. We were at 5% or 6% [of the vote] in this district, in this area. This was a rigged, disgraceful trial. The real verdict is going to be November 5th by the people.
“I’m a very innocent man. And it’s OK, I’m fighting for our country, I’m fighting for our Constitution. Our whole country is being rigged right now,” he added. “This was done by the Biden administration in order to vote 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 ’til the end and we’ll win.”
