Trump's Defense Attorney Says He Was 'Expecting' Guilty Verdict as He Makes the Case for Lesser Sentence

• Donald Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsified business records on Thursday, May 30
• The former president's lead defense attorney, Todd Blanche, said they were "expecting" the guilty verdict
• "We’re going to appeal and we’re going to win on appeal," Blanche told Savannah Guthrie on Today

Donald Trump's defense attorney Todd Blanche says he was "expecting" the former president to be found guilty.

On Thursday, May 30, Trump, 77, was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsified business records, more than a year after the Manhattan indictment was unsealed.

During an appearance on the Today show on Friday, May 31, Trump's lead defense attorney, Blanche, laid out his plans to appeal while talking to co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, 52.

When asked whether he was "surprised" by the verdict — which was determined by the jury after two days of deliberation — Blanche responded, "Surprised is probably the wrong word. I mean, that’s what juries do. Juries can decide something in five minutes or five days, and we don’t know what went into their decision and why they decided the way that they did. But this was a verdict that we were expecting."

"We’re going to appeal and we’re going to win on appeal. That’s the goal. The goal is, this is a step in the process of our justice system and the goal is to appeal quickly and hopefully be vindicated quickly," the lawyer continued.

Trump's sentencing is scheduled for July 11 in New York City at 10 a.m. local time — four days before the start of the Republican National Convention, in which the party officially nominates their choice for president of the United States.

Addressing whether he thinks Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg will request prison time, Blanche added, "I don’t know what DA Bragg is going to do in run-up to the sentencing in July. I would hope not."

Insisting prison shouldn't be an option, Blanche continued, "Under the guidelines and the rules of the court of what normally would happen, President Trump would not face a day in prison. Putting aside the fact that he was president of the United States, the conduct we’re talking about is 7, 8 years old, 9 years old. He’s a grandfather, a husband, a father. He should not go to prison. I don’t know what the district attorney is going to do."

As Guthrie mentioned, a class E, the lowest level of felony case regarding "somebody with no prior record who's almost 80 years old," isn't the "typical case where someone goes to prison."

Speaking on his grounds for an appeal, Blanche said, "I think the recusal issue is meaningful. I think the statute of limitations, the way that — the background of why this case was brought — is meaningful. I think the witnesses… I do not think Michael Cohen should ever be somebody who should be relied upon to convict somebody."

Blanche, who first joined Trump's defense team in April 2023, is now expected to head to Florida to work on another case. 

Speaking to Guthrie about his expectations regarding the case making it to trial before Election Day, the lawyer noted, "I have no expectations. You’re right, we’re going to be down in Florida next week with my team. We have a three-day hearing next month. There’s a lot of work to do and we’ll see."

Trump spent the last six-plus weeks in a Manhattan courtroom before the guilty verdict was delivered in his historic criminal trial.

As previously reported by PEOPLE, Trump and his team, who were smiling moments before the jury announced they had come to a conclusion, grew suddenly serious at the news, per multiple reporters in the room.

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Many had braced for a hung jury — which happens if jurors fail to unanimously agree on a verdict — a result that would have seen a mistrial be declared and the former president's charges thrust into limbo.

With Trump's claims of a baseless criminal case being rejected, he now faces up to four years in prison. However, as a first-time offender of a non-violent offense with unique security needs, he will likely face lesser sentencing.