Donald Trump found guilty of all 34 charges in hush money trial

Our live coverage has ended. Follow the latest news on Donald Trump’s guilty verdict or read through the updates below. 

Stormy Daniels’ attorney Clark Brewster said his client was “really emotional” following former President Donald Trump’s guilty verdict in the hush money case.

He told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that Daniels faced the “realization of the finality” and had “a lot of emotions flowing.”

Brewster also responded to Trump attorney Todd Blanche saying he’d raise Daniels’ testimony in appeal, arguing that “it was straightforward” and “they had an opportunity to cross examine her.”

Alana Evans, right, speaks with CNN's Abby Phillip on May 30.

Alana Evans, friend of Stormy Daniels and an adult film star told CNN’s Abby Phillip that she — and Daniels — absolutely feels vindicated by Trump’s guilty verdict, calling it a “joyous day.” 

Former President Donald Trump leaves the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York after a jury found him guilty of all 34 felony counts in his hush money trial on Thursday, May 30. 

A New York jury convicting Donald Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records brought the former president’s weekslong trial to a close but ushered in a new phase of the historic case.

Now in the unique position of being the first former US president convicted of a felony, Trump faces the possibility of a prison sentence or probation for his crimes stemming from a hush money payment scheme he helped facilitate ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Trump – who is known for mounting lengthy appeals of court rulings against him – has said he will appeal the conviction, which can be done after he is sentenced.

Here’s what to know about the case following Trump’s conviction:

When will Trump be sentenced?

Judge Juan Merchan has set Trump’s sentencing for 10 a.m. ET on July 11. For now, the former president will remain out of prison as he awaits his sentencing. Prosecutors did not ask for Trump to post any bond.

Can Trump appeal his conviction?

Shortly after Trump was convicted, his attorney Todd Blanche asked Merchan for an acquittal of the charges notwithstanding the guilty verdict. The judge rejected the pro forma request.

Can Trump still be elected president?

Nothing in the US Constitution bars a convicted criminal from running for the nation’s highest office, University of California, Los Angeles law professor Richard L. Hasen has consistently said.

“The Constitution contains only limited qualifications for running for office (being at least 35 years old, a natural born citizen, and at least 14 years a resident of the U.S.),” Hasen continued.

Will the conviction cost Trump his right to vote?

Trump is a Florida resident. When it comes to the Manhattan guilty verdict just rendered, Trump’s right to vote in Florida in November’s election will depend on whether he is sentenced to a term in prison and if he has finished serving that prison sentence by the time of the election.

Florida’s felon voting prohibitions apply to people with out-of-state convictions. However, if a Floridian’s conviction is out of state, Florida defers to that state’s laws for how felon can regain their voting rights.

Read more on the aftermath of Trump’s guilty verdict.

Correction: This post has been updated to reflect when Trump is allowed to file an appeal.

For the first time in history, a former US president has been convicted of a felony.

A jury on Thursday found Donald Trump guilty on 34 charges of falsifying business records. Prosecutors alleged that the former president engaged in a cover-up scheme to hide reimbursement payments made to his former attorney, Michael Cohen, who had paid hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels to stop her from going public about a past affair with Trump before the 2016 presidential election. Trump has denied the affair.

See more photos from the trial.

Former President Donald Trump leaves the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York after a jury found him guilty of all 34 felony counts in his hush money trial on Thursday, May 30. 

A news board displaying Trump's conviction is seen at Fox News in New York on May 30. 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg stands with members of his staff at a news conference held following Trump's conviction on May 30. "Our job is to follow the facts and the law without fear or favor, and that's exactly what we did here," Bragg said, adding that while there are "many voices out there, the only voice that matters is the voice of the jury." 

Trump points as he arrives back at Trump Tower in New York after his conviction on May 30. 

Bystanders try to catch a glimpse of Trump as he enters Trump Tower in New York after his conviction on May 30. 

People eat and drink while CNN’s coverage of the trial plays in the background at Hawk ’n' Dove in Washington, DC, on May 30.

Trump's son Eric, seen fourth from the right with his fingers interlocked, listens as his dad speaks to the media after the verdict on May 30. 

Former President Donald Trump appears in Manhattan Criminal Court, Thursday, May 30, in New York. 

The hush money criminal case against former President Donald Trump was only one of four criminal cases he is juggling while running again for president.

The former president still faces criminal indictments in Georgia, Washington, DC, and Florida. Trump has pleaded not guilty to every charge in these cases. 

Here’s a recap of each case: 

Track the criminal cases against Trump.

The post was updated with details from Thursday’s verdict.

Former first lady Melania Trump and her son, Barron Trump, are currently in New York, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. The two were already in New York when the verdict was read earlier Thursday, although it was not immediately clear when they arrived in the city.

Melania Trump did not attend a fundraiser dinner with Trump at a private residence Thursday night in New York City.

She was not seen at court during the trial.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer posted a brief statement about the verdict in former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial on social media. 

Todd Blanche appears on CNN after a Manhattan jury found his client, Donald Trump, guilty of falsifying business records on Thursday, May 30

Donald Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Thursday that the former president’s legal team plans to argue in its appeal of the verdict that the jury was biased against Trump and the timing of the trial was unfair.

He added: “There was so much publicity around the witnesses and around – leading up to the trial that our system of justice isn’t supposed to be a system where every person who walks into the courtroom knows about the case.”

Blanche previewed that Trump’s legal team will now “vigorously fight” with motions due in a few weeks. And “if that is not successful,” the attorney said they will appeal following the sentencing in July.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins interviews Todd Blanche after a Manhattan jury found his client, Donal Trump, guilty of falsifying business records on Thursday, May 30.

Donald Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche said he was “very surprised” when it was announced that a verdict had been reached in the former president’s hush money trial on Thursday.

But Blanche clarified that “it wasn’t surprising like ‘Oh my gosh, I’m shocked’” because they were prepared for a guilty verdict.

Remember: Shortly after 4 p.m. ET, Judge Juan Merchan told the courtroom the jury would be dismissed at 4:30 p.m. and the expectation was that the jurors would resume their deliberations on Friday. Trump was saying “Thank you” to the court staff and his demeanor was the most relaxed since jury selection.

Then word came that the jurors, who had been deliberating for nearly 12 hours over two days, had reached a verdict. Not long afterward, the guilty verdict on 34 counts was announced.

Ivanka Trump has posted an image on Instagram of herself as a small girl being held by Donald Trump with the caption, “I love you dad.”

As CNN previously reported, she did not join her father for his court appearances. Ivanka’s husband, Jared Kushner, didn’t make the trip to the Manhattan courthouse either.

Ivanka Trump’s absence from the trial was not surprising to many close to the former president, CNN previously reported. Both Ivanka Trump and Kushner have distanced themselves from Trump’s latest presidential campaign.

Todd Blanche appears on CNN after a Manhattan jury found his client, Donal Trump, guilty of falsifying business records on Thursday, May 30.

Donald Trump attorney Todd Blanche shared with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Thursday that the legal team was “prepared for a guilty verdict.”

Trump reportedly told people that he believed it would be a hung jury, and while Blanche said they “were fighting to win the case, of course, but a hung jury would have been as close to a win as we could’ve gotten.”

“But we were prepared for a conviction. I think that was expected,” Blanche added.

Donald Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Thursday that the former president wanted to testify, but he relied on counsel and ultimately did not take stand.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell reacted to former President Donald Trump’s guilty verdict late Thursday night, saying in a social media post that he expects the conviction to be overturned on appeal. 

Trump and McConnell have a strained relationship. CNN reported in January that the two hadn’t spoken in more than three years. 

McConnell, who will step down as the Senate’s Republican leader in November,  endorsed Trump in March, shortly after the former president dominated races across the country.

Donald Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche repeated the claim that the former president faced an unfair trial, arguing that Manhattan is an unfavorable jurisdiction.

Blance also attempted to contrast the case from others brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office.

Michael Cohen, speaking after Donald Trump’s guilty verdict Thursday, said he was “relieved” and wasn’t surprised by the verdict.

 “This has been six years in the making,” he told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow.

 When Maddow asked if he was surprised by the verdict, Cohen said: “No. I was not.”

 Cohen praised the judge and prosecutors for their work and said he stayed off social media in respect for the judge and the process.

 He said he faced difficulty dealing with the anxiety of the trial.

 “I was nervous because so much was riding on the result of this, and I wanted to ensure that my testimony was perfect. I knew that there could be no deviation from perfection,” he said.

Cohen called Todd Blanche, Trump’s attorney, a “SLOAT” – stupidest lawyer of all time. During his closing arguments, Blanche had called Cohen a “GLOAT” – the greatest liar of all time.

President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign rally at Girard College on May 29 in Philadelphia.

Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump called attention to what’s at stake in November’s election in the moments after Trump’s conviction Thursday, as Republicans rushed to the former president’s defense.

Trump, while lambasting the prosecution in his New York hush money criminal trial as a “disgrace,” similarly pointed to this fall’s presidential election.

News of Trump’s conviction on 34 felony charges of falsifying business records, sent shockwaves through campaigns up and down the ballot.

Republican candidates in races for governor, Senate and House largely aligned themselves with Trump, while Democrats largely avoided the specifics of the case but said justice had prevailed.

The former president’s allies on Capitol Hill were quick to rally around him, with top Republicans attacking the justice system in the wake of the verdict – while also highlighting the importance of the 2024 election and making fundraising appeals of their own.

Democrats, meanwhile, offered more muted reactions — and many didn’t comment at all in the immediate aftermath of the verdict. And some anti-Trump Republicans kept their distance from the former president Thursday.

Read more on the effect of Trump’s guilty verdict on the 2024 elections.

Judge Juan Merchan set Donald Trump’s sentencing date for July 11 at 10 a.m. ET.

A panel of New York jurors on Thursday found the former president guilty of all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records after deliberating for nearly 12 hours over two days.

Trump did not move as the verdict was being read, and just before the jurors were excused, he appeared to take a big sigh as the jurors were leaving. He had a frowned expression on his face as the verdict reading was completed.

Not only is Trump the first former president to be found guilty of a felony, but he’s also the first major-party presidential nominee to be convicted of a crime in the midst of a campaign for the White House. And if he defeats President Joe Biden in November, he will be the first sitting president in history to be a convicted felon.

The July 11 sentencing hearing happens just days before the start of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

While prison time is a possibility, the judge is not required to sentence Trump to jail. Merchan could sentence Trump to probation or a sentence of up to 4 years on each count in state prison, with a maximum of 20 years.

Here’s a further breakdown of the potential sentence Trump could face:

This post has been updated with additional reporting on the verdict.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stands on the House floor ahead of the annual State of the Union address by President Joe Biden before a joint session of Congress at the Capital building on March 7 in Washington, DC. 

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has still not commented after former President Donald Trump was found guilty on all charges in the hush money trial. 

The three senators who have declared their candidacy for McConnell’s leadership position next Congress – Sens. John Thune, John Cornyn and Rick Scott – have all condemned the verdict. 

Trump and McConnell have a strained relationship. CNN reported in January that the two hadn’t spoken in more than three years.

McConnell, who will step down as the Senate’s Republican leader in November, endorsed Trump in March, shortly after the former president dominated races across the country 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks to the media after a jury found former President Donald Trump guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, Thursday, May 30, in New York.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg held a news conference shortly after the jury in Donald Trump’s hush money trial found the former president guilty of 34 felony counts.

Bragg began the conference by thanking the jury, and went on to applaud the prosecution team and defend the work of his office.

He also noted that both the trial and verdict were arrived at “in the same manner as every other case that comes through the courtroom doors.”

However, Bragg declined to answer questions on Judge Juan Merchan potentially sentencing Trump to prison, or on how the district attorney’s office would respond to an appeal.

Jurors found former President Donald Trump guilty Thursday on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up a payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.

See how people reacted after they learned the news:

People celebrate after former President Donald Trump was found guilty on all counts at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 30 in New York City. 

Supporters hold placards and flags following the announcement of the verdict in former President Donald Trump's criminal trial over charges that he falsified business records on May 30.

A news board displaying Donald Trump's conviction is seen at Fox News in New York City on May 30.

Patrons at the Hawk and Dove bar watch the news after former U.S. President Donald Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts in his criminal trial on May 30 in Washington, DC.

People attempt to photograph Trump as he arrives at Trump Tower in New York City, on May 30.

A supporter of former President Donald Trump joins a small gathering near Mar-a-Lago on May 30 in Palm Beach, Florida. 

President Joe Biden’s campaign is sending a text to supporters warning that his opponent Donald Trump is likely “setting fundraising records” following Thursday’s guilty verdict.

The text repeats the assertion that the only way to defeat the former president will be at the ballot box.

As cable news channels relayed the news that a jury convicted former President Donald Trump on 34 felony counts, Biden administration employees throughout the West Wing were glued to the mounted televisions, two officials told CNN, describing them as “transfixed” and “stunned.”

Most TVs were set to a grid of four channels — CNN, CNBC, FOX News and MSNBC — known in the White House as “the quad.” Foot traffic in the hallways between the West Wing’s conference rooms and offices slowed to a halt, officials said.

As the jury levied an historic conviction on his predecessor, President Joe Biden remained out of the public eye in Delaware, commemorating the ninth anniversary of the death of his son, Beau.

Stormy Daniels is still processing the news of Donald Trump’s conviction in the hush money trial, shortly after the guilty verdict was read Thursday, said her husband Barrett Blade.

On the stand, Daniels described how she and Trump met at a celebrity golf tournament and what she says happened when she went to Trump’s Lake Tahoe hotel room in 2006. She also told the jury about a $130,000 hush money payment she received from former Trump attorney Michael Cohen before the 2016 election. 

“She was brought into this. This wasn’t her seeking justice for herself. She was standing up for herself early on and saying what was right, but this whole hush money trial is really nothing … it’s not her story,” he said.

Still, Blade said Daniels “feels a little vindicated that, you know, she was telling the truth” after the jury heard her testimony. He said they would have supported the jury’s decision either way.

“Hopefully people will finally start seeing the truth and if they do, they do, if they don’t, they don’t. I don’t know that that ever changes,” he said.

A source familiar with Donald Trump as he left court said he was in “good spirits and ready to fight.”

Trump plans to stay in New York Thursday night after being found guilty of all 34 counts of falsifying business records, according to a source familiar with his plans.

Maryland Republican Senate candidate Larry Hogan on Thursday urged Americans to “respect the verdict and the legal process” when news broke that the jury in Donald Trump’s hush money trial reached a verdict.

Hogan’s comments drew the ire of Trump’s senior adviser Chris LaCivita, who later responded on X: “You just ended your campaign.”

Hogan has been critical of Trump and said he won’t vote for neither Trump nor President Joe Biden in the presidential election. Earlier this month, Hogan won the Republican nomination to take on Democrat Angela Alsobrooks in November for a Senate seat that Republicans view as important to flip to expand their battleground map.

As Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg addressed reporters Thursday night, Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that he will hold a news conference Friday morning.

Trump will address reporters at 11 a.m. ET tomorrow from the Trump Tower atrium, he said, adding his campaign slogan: “MAGA2024!”

The Manhattan district attorney said the jurors have spoken in their conviction of former President Donald Trump in the hush money trial on Thursday.

At a news conference after the jury found Trump guilty of 34 felony charges, Bragg said the voice of the jurors is “the most important voice of all.”

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg called Donald Trump a defendant “unlike any other in American history.”

Still, he noted that both the trial and verdict were arrived at “in the same manner as every other case that comes through the courtroom doors … by following the facts and the law and doing so without fear or favor.”

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg declined to discuss Donald Trump’s sentencing during a news conference on Thursday.

Asked by a reporter about Judge Juan Merchan potentially sentencing Trump to prison and how the DA’s office would respond to an appeal, Bragg said:

He added that the case is still an ongoing matter and there are other phases going ahead and the office will address anything regarding the matter in court.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg defended the work of his prosecution team during a news conference following former President Donald Trump’s guilty verdict in the hush money case.

The district attorney and the team had faced intense scrutiny from Trump and his allies who accused them of bringing forward a politically motivated case, even going as far as to say the trial was influenced by the Biden administration.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg declined to answer a question about if he plans to request a prison sentence for former President Donald Trump.

Some context: Most Class E felony convictions, the least serious type of felony in New York, result in non-prison sentences — often a combination of probation, fines and community service, according to CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig. The sentence is up to the judge.

This post has been updated with additional context.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said that the hush money trial is an example what kind of cases make up the core of the his office.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg thanked the “phenomenal” prosecution team, who he described as “embodying the finest traditions of this office: Professionalism, integrity, dedication and service.”

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg thanked the jury for their service and for its “careful attention” it “paid to the evidence and the law.”

A jury found former President Donald Trump guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

“Twelve everyday New Yorkers — and of course our alternates — heard testimony from 22 witnesses including former and current employees of the defendant, media executives, book publishers, custodians of records and others,” Bragg said, going through all of the types of documents and recordings that were part of the case.

Bragg led the investigation into the former president’s involvement in the hush money payment — a yearslong probe he inherited from his predecessor, who began the investigation when Trump was still in the White House. 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is now making remarks after former President Donald Trump was convicted on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records on Thursday.

Bragg was in the courtroom when the verdict was read this afternoon.

Some background: Bragg, a former New York state and federal prosecutor, drew national attention when he made history as Manhattan’s first Black district attorney. He was back in the spotlight last year after indicting Trump following a yearslong investigation into the former president’s role in a hush money scheme. 

Bragg inherited the probe from his predecessor, Cy Vance, who began the investigation when Trump was still in the White House. Trump, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, has cast Bragg’s case as political.

A Manhattan jury found Donald Trump guilty of all 34 charges of falsifying business records Thursday, an unprecedented and historic verdict that makes Trump the first former president in American history to be convicted of a felony.

Read the jury’s verdict sheet below:

Donald Trump will stay in New York City tonight, a source familiar with his plans confirmed.

He arrived back at Trump Tower shortly after 6 p.m. ET.

CNN legal analyst Karen Friedman Agnifilo laid out some details on former President Donald Trump’s sentencing, which is set for July 11.

A pre-sentencing report will be prepared, which will include whether Trump feels any sort of remorse. It’s just one of the factors that Judge Merchan will take into consideration for sentencing, Friedman Agnifilo said.

“Every option is on the table with a Class E felony like this,” she added, explaining that Trump could receive anything from prison time to house arrest.

“He could do probation. He could do community service where he has to pick up trash on the subways,” she said.

“We’ll see what happens, but anyone else in that position would get prison,” she said.

Former President Donald Trump reacts as the verdict is read in his criminal trial over charges that he falsified business records at Manhattan state court in New York City, on May 30.

Before the historic and unprecedented guilty verdict was delivered against Donald Trump on Thursday afternoon, the former president appeared to be the most relaxed he’d been since his hush money trial began in April.

Trump was smiling and laughing with his attorney, Todd Blanche, as they waited for Judge Juan Merchan to announce the jury was heading home for the day.

With Trump and prosecutors assembled, Merchan returned to the bench at 4:13 p.m. ET to let the parties know that he planned to send the jury home for the day in about 15 minutes. The judge left the courtroom, and Trump, his lawyers and the prosecutors remained behind to wait for the end of the day.

But everything changed when the judge re-entered the courtroom at 4:36 p.m. ET with a stunning note: The jury had reached a verdict.

The jury needed 30 minutes to fill out the forms, leaving Trump and the attorneys sitting in the courtroom until the judge and jury returned. They mostly sat still while waiting, occasionally making small talk amongst themselves.

When the judge returned to the bench, he warned the parties and the audience against “reactions” or “outbursts of any kind” before the jury entered.

The six alternates entered and sat in the first row of the gallery, behind prosecutors. The 12 jurors took their seats in the jury box. A clerk prompted the jury foreman with each of the 34 counts. He answered “guilty” 34 times.

The attorneys were silent and serious as the verdict was read. Only the sound of feverish typing could be heard from the galley filled with press and several members of the public as the foreman delivered Trump’s fate.

Reporters could not initially see Trump’s facial reaction when the first guilty verdict was read – the courthouse had the video screen off while the foreman read most of the verdict, as the court turned off video whenever jurors were moving.

Keep reading about how the moment unfolded.

Trump waves as he returns to Trump Tower on Thursday.

As Donald Trump returns to Trump Tower on Thursday, the former president waves and raises a fist to a crowd outside his building.

He also mouths “Thank you.”

After he enters, his son and entourage alongside him, the crowd largely disperses.

No cameras were allowed inside the Manhattan courtroom when the verdict was read in Donald Trump’s hush money trial, but sketch artists captured the scene.

Donald Trump and his son Eric, who sat behind the former president today as the guilty verdict was read in court, have each alluded to the 2024 election in new messages on social media.

“VICTORY ON NOVEMBER 5TH. SAVE AMERICA!!!” the former president wrote in a message on his Truth Social platform.

Eric Trump also referenced the election in a message on X, implying voters would be driven by the verdict to support his father:

The guilty verdict in former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial has “no bearing on the manner in which the United States Secret Service carries out its protective mission,” the agency said in a statement on Thursday.

The Secret Service is authorized to protect former presidents “during their lifetime, unless they decline protection” according to their official website.

The online portal the Trump campaign uses to accept donations, winred.com, appears to be offline. 

The Trump campaign tweeted, “So many Americans were moved to donate to President Trump’s campaign that the WinRed pages went down.”

“We are working on getting the website back online as quickly as possible.”

While the winred.com homepage appeared to be functioning normally, an error message appeared on the site when CNN attempted to click the “donate” button next to former President Donald Trump’s name.

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump leaves Manhattan Criminal Court in his motorcade after he was convicted in his criminal trial in New York City, on May 30.

Donald Trump’s motorcade is currently sitting in some traffic on the FDR Drive heading back to Trump Tower.

New York City does not freeze the route back to Trump Tower for Trump the way that they would for a sitting president. He gets a police escort, however.

Donald Trump’s SUV slowed as his motorcade left the courthouse, giving him a chance to wave at a crowd of people waiting for him to exit — some voicing support for the former president, and some cheering his guilty verdict.

People in the crowd had been huddled in silence and then burst into cheers and claps as Trump’s guilty verdict was first updated on their phones. One man, meanwhile, appeared to be really angry.

There had been sporadic cheering here and there throughout the day from passersby who saw posters that say things like, “Lock him up.”

Others waved pro-Trump banners and American flags.

Donald Trump is scheduled to be sentenced just days before the Republican National Convention where it is expected he will officially become the party’s nominee for president — something his team was worried about when looking at the timing of the hush money trial, sources told CNN’s Kristen Holmes.

Trump’s sentencing hearing is set to take place on July 11. The RNC begins on July 15 in Milwaukee. Trump is required to be in court for the sentencing.

While it is historic that Trump is the first former president to be convicted of criminal charges, “it is also historic that he will be the Republican nominee, being sentenced just days before,” Holmes said.

The former president’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, originally asked for a late-July sentencing date to take place after the convention, Holmes reported. 

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said following the verdict in former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial that the case is “being used to divide us.”

Kennedy, who learned about his opponent’s verdict while speaking with reporters ahead of his appearance at a cryptocurrency convention in Austin, Texas, dismissed the importance of the case.

When asked by CNN to elaborate on why he feels the verdict is an issue voters aren’t prioritizing, Kennedy reiterated he believes the trial outcome is among a set of “culture war issues,” some of which he said are “important issues,” but said he’d rather focus on the economy and health issues.

Michael Cohen, in a statement responding to the verdict, said “today is an important day for accountability and the rule of law.”

Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, was the Manhattan district attorney’s key witness in the hush money trial.

Danya Perry, Cohen’s attorney, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that her client “has mixed feelings.”

After Judge Juan Merchan told the courtroom the jury would be dismissed at 4:30 p.m., the expectation was that the jurors would resume their deliberations on Friday.

Donald Trump was saying “Thank you” to the court staff and his demeanor was the most relaxed since jury selection.

Then word came that the jurors, who had been deliberating for nearly 12 hours over two days, had reached a verdict and they asked for 30 minutes to fill out their forms.

If you are just joining us, here’s what you missed:

Guilty: The former president was convicted on all 34 counts of falsifying business records. The counts stemmed from 11 invoices, 12 vouchers and 11 checks that make up Trump’s monthly reimbursement payments to Michael Cohen who fronted the $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. 

Acquittal denied: Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche moved for an acquittal of the charges, notwithstanding the verdict. The judge denied the motion. 

Sentencing date: Merchan set a sentencing date for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention, which is set to begin on July 15.

Trump’s reaction: Trump stared straight ahead during the verdict reading and when the acquittal motion was denied. Frowning, the former president grabbed his son Eric’s hand and shook it rapidly, before starting to walk out of the courtroom. Trump was red in the face, and both father and son looked upset.

Trump spoke: Outside the courtroom, Trump called the hush money trial against him a “disgrace” and a “rigged trial.”

Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, said the “real verdict is going to be November 5 by the people,” referring to the general election.

CNN’s Nicki Brown and Elise Hammond contributed to this post.

Former President Donald Trump speaks to the media after being found guilty following his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 30 in New York City. 

After he was found guilty on Thursday, former President Donald Trump returned to a familiar refrain about the case – asserting that “this was done by the Biden administration in order to wound or hurt an opponent, a political opponent.”

Facts First: There is no basis for Trump’s claim. There is no evidence that President Joe Biden or his administration had any role in launching or running Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s prosecution — and Bragg, a Democrat, is a locally elected official who does not report to the federal government. The indictment in the case was approved by a grand jury of ordinary citizens. 

Trump has repeatedly invoked a lawyer on Bragg’s team, Matthew Colangelo, while making such claims; Colangelo left the Justice Department in 2022 to join the district attorney’s office as senior counsel to Bragg. But there is no evidence that Biden or administration officials had anything to do with Colangelo’s employment decision. Colangelo and Bragg had been colleagues before Bragg was elected Manhattan district attorney in 2021. 

Before Colangelo worked at the Justice Department, he and Bragg worked at the same time in the office of New York’s state attorney general, where Colangelo investigated Trump’s charity and financial practices and was involved in bringing various lawsuits against the Trump administration.

Allies of Donald Trump quickly took to social media showing support for the former president following his guilty verdict. 

House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, who is reportedly on Trump’s vice president short list, said the verdict “shows how corrupt and rigged the American system has become under Joe Biden.” 

Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green posted a photo on X of an upside down American flag – a symbol of the “Stop the Steal” campaign and the January 6 insurrection. 

Meanwhile, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise called the verdict “Corrupt, partisan, vicious.”

Similarly, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called the hush money trial “a sham” on X.

Donald Trump’s motorcade is leaving the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse after he was found guilty on all 34 felony counts in his hush money criminal trial.

A large but relatively quiet crowd has gathered in the park outside the courthouse, where there has been a steady presence of demonstrators, media and police throughout the trial.

Several dozen people have also gathered at Trump Tower, according to a CNN team on the ground, which reports that most of the people there are curious tourists from overseas.

Shares of Truth Social owner Trump Media & Technology Group (DJT) tumbled 9% in after-hours trading Thursday after former President Donald Trump was found guilty on all 34 felony charges.

Trump Media’s share price was little changed until news broke that the jury had reached a verdict. Shares then fell sharply after the conviction was announced.

Trump is the chairman and leading shareholder of Trump Media, which went public in March after completing a controversial merger.

Even accounting for the after-hours selloff, Trump’s dominant stake of 114.75 million shares is valued at $5.4 billion on paper.

Experts have said the lofty valuation placed on Trump Media is hard to square with the fact that Truth Social remains a tiny player in social media and the company generates very little revenue.

The felony charges Donald Trump has been convicted of are not the most serious class, CNN legal analyst Elie Honig said.

In New York, Class E is the least serious felony and Class A is the most serious and whether Trump serves prison time is completely up to Judge Juan Merchan, Honig explained.

Honig said that several researchers over the past year have found that between 70% and 90%of Class E convictions resulted in non-prison sentences, often a combination of probation, fines and community service.

That means that between 10% and 30% of such convictions lead to prison time.

“And this will be entirely up to Judge Merchan,” he said.

Honig also said that there are relevant factors taken into account in a case like the hush money trial.

“First of all, how big was the offense? How major was the offense? It’s a big difference to steal $5 million vs. $100,000. Was this person are first-time offender or are they on their second, third, fourth conviction? Yeah, quality of lawyering can absolutely play into but this is the most difficult thing judges do,” Honig added.

Also, if Merchan does impose a prison sentence, Trump will likely not have to start serving right away, Honig noted.

“In a case like this, he’s very likely to get what we call bail pending appeal, meaning he will almost certainly not have to begin serving any sentence until after all of his appeals are done. That would certainly take us out past the election” in November,” he said.

President Joe Biden said the only way to defeat his GOP rival Donald Trump is at the ballot box, moments after Trump was found guilty on 34 criminal counts.

“There’s only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: At the ballot box,” Biden wrote on X, linking to a fundraising page. 

Biden’s campaign said in a statement that the verdict showed “no one is above the law.”

Ian Sams, a spokesperson from the White House Counsel’s office, said: “We respect the rule of law, and have no additional comment.”

This post has been updated with comments from Ian Sams.

CNN’s Kayla Tausche contributed reporting to this post.

House Speaker Mike Johnson listens as former President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he arrives to attend his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs, at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, on May 14. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson called the guilty verdict against former President Donald Trump “a shameful day in American history.”

Johnson also accused the justice system of being weaponized and described the trial as “a purely political exercise, not a legal one.”

The speaker, undermining the legal process, also called the case “a purely political exercise, not a legal one” and accused the justice system of being weaponized.

Former President Donald Trump blamed the Biden administration after being found guilty on 34 felony charges in the hush money trial. 

Trump’s legal team is not planning a formal statement for now, letting his comments stand as their initial statement on the verdict.

Now that a New York jury has convicted former President Donald Trump of all 34 felony charges of falsifying business records, the next obvious question is: Can a convicted felon run for president?

The US Constitution lays out just three requirements for presidential candidates. They must:

Trump meets all three requirements. There is, arguably, another criterion laid out in the 14th Amendment, where it states that no one who has previously taken an oath of office who engages in insurrection can be an officer of the US. But the US Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that Congress would have to pass a special law invoking this prohibition. That’s not happening any time soon.

Can Trump still vote?

It depends. Each state makes its own rules. Trump is now a Florida resident – and Florida voters, in 2018, overwhelmingly backed a referendum to reenfranchise convicted felons.

In an interview with CNN, Neil Volz, deputy director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, an organization that works to help reenfranchise formerly incarcerated people, predicted Trump will have little problem voting since Florida actually defers to the jurisdiction of a felony conviction as to whether a felon can vote. In New York, after a law passed in 2021, any convicted felon who is not incarcerated is eligible to register to vote.

Even if the judge ultimately tried to give Trump prison time, it is highly unlikely that Trump’s right to appeal his conviction would be exhausted before Election Day. If, somehow, Trump was convicted in one of the two federal criminal cases against him before Election Day, that might be another story.

A version of this story appears in CNN’s What Matters newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here.

Donald Trump was defiant in his remarks following Thursday’s guilty verdict in his hush money trial.

“We will fight for our Constitution. This is long from over,” he said outside of the Manhattan courtroom.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has left the courtroom.

His prosecution team is waiting to be allowed to leave.

A post on social media from Bragg at 5:12 p.m. ET noted the verdict.

Former President Donald Trump called the hush money trial against him a “disgrace” and a “rigged trial.”

A jury found Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts on Thursday after deliberating for nearly 12 hours.

Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, said the “real verdict is going to be November 5 by the people,” referring to the general election.

“They know what happened here and everybody knows what happened here,” he said.

He railed against the Manhattan District Attorney and the Biden administration, which he falsely claimed influenced the case.

Even before jury selection began weeks ago, former President Donald Trump’s legal team was preparing their strategy for appeal, according to CNN’s chief legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid. 

Trump’s legal team is likely going to make the argument that their client would have never been able to get a fair trial in Manhattan.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche has already moved for an acquittal of the charges not withstanding the verdict. 

Donald Trump is leaving the courtroom.

Frowning, the former president grabbed his son Eric’s hand and shook it rapidly, before starting to walk out.

Trump is red in the face, and both father and son looked upset.

CNN’s Nicki Brown and Kristina Sgueglia contributed reporting to this post.

Donald Trump is looking ahead with a straight face as Judge Juan Merchan denies the motion for an acquittal.

He’s now sitting at the defense table with both seats beside him empty as his attorneys Emil Bove and Todd Blanche are at the bench.

Trump is sitting without moving. His other attorney, Susan Necheles, is two seats away from him.

Merchan also asks about the bail status and prosecutor Joshua Steinglass says there is no bail.

CNN’s Nikki Brown contributed reporting to this post.

Judge Juan Merchan sets a sentencing hearing for July 11 at 10 a.m. ET.

The date is close to the Republican National Convention, which is set to begin on July 15.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche moves for an acquittal of the charges, not withstanding the verdict.

Blanche says there’s no way the jury could’ve reached the verdict without the testimony of Michael Cohen, and that the defense believes Cohen committed perjury at this trial.

Judge Juan Merchan denies the acquittal motion.

Judge Juan Merchan says he’ll meet with the jurors personally to thank them further but says he can’t discuss the facts of the case.

The jury is excused and the alternates have also left the courtroom.

Donald Trump, who had remained staring straight ahead as the guilty verdict was read on each count, looked over toward the jury box as each member of the panel confirmed their verdict.

He’s gone back to looking straight ahead with a straight face as Judge Juan Merchan thanks the jurors.

The verdict reading is completed. The jurors all have straight faces.

After parties ask for them to be polled, the jurors individually confirm “Yes” that this is their verdict.

The court officer asks if either party wants the jury polled.

Donald Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche says “Yes.”

Former President Donald Trump returns to court as the jury reaches a verdict in his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 30 in New York City.

The verdict in Donald Trump’s hush money trial is now being read in the courtroom.  

The 34 counts stemmed from 11 invoices, 12 vouchers and 11 checks that make up Trump’s monthly reimbursement payments to Michael Cohen who fronted the $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels.  

Follow the latest on the verdict for each of the counts below: 

CNN’s Laura Dolan contributed to this post.

The court security officer is asking the jury if they find Donald Trump guilty of all 34 counts.

The jurors responded “Yes.”

Donald Trump is staring straight ahead as the verdict is read in court.

The former president has not moved as each count is read.

Trump has a frown on his face as the verdict reading is now complete. He is not moving.

A Manhattan jury has found Donald Trump guilty of falsifying business records in connection to Stormy Daniels hush money scheme. 

He faces 34 counts of falsifying business records. 

The jury’s verdict is still being read in court. 

Donald Trump is the first president in US history to be convicted of a felony. 

Several jurors have their eyes looking down as the verdict is read.

Others are looking toward the judge.

The jurors are entering the courtroom.

The alternates are coming in first and they have been seated in the front row behind the DA’s table and in front of District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

The 12 jurors are now in the room.

Donald Trump is seated, leaning back in his chair facing forward as he awaits the verdict on each count in his hush money criminal trial.

Lawyers on both sides will likely be watching jurors’ body language when they come back into the courtroom, one Manhattan criminal defense attorney said.

The jury just notified the judge that it reached a verdict in the hush money case against former President Donald Trump after deliberating for nearly 12 hours.

Once all of the jurors are seated back in the jury box, the judge will read the verdict, count by count, defense attorney Stacy Schneider said. After that, because the decision has to be unanimous, the judge will ask each individual juror and ask them if it’s true if that is the verdict they rendered, she said.

“They want to make sure that each juror is firm on their decision, no one felt pressured,” Schneider said, especially in the case of a guilty verdict.

Before all of that, however, Schneider said attorneys — specifically the defense — will watch carefully to see if the jurors look at Trump and how they are acting.

“Are they jovial? Are they relaxed or are they somber?” she said.

Judge Juan Merchan is on the bench.

He asks if the parties are ready for the jury and both sides say yes.

A few more court officers are now in the courtroom standing in the aisle and around the room.

Donald Trump and his attorneys and the prosecutors are occasionally chatting amongst themselves, but they are mostly sitting still and waiting for the judge and the jury to return.

Trump has just taken something out of his pocket and popped it into his mouth.

The judge’s clerk has entered the courtroom.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has entered the courtroom, as we await the verdict to be read in Donald Trump’s hush money criminal trial.

It was Bragg and his team of prosecutors who indicted Trump on the 34 felony charges of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments delivered to quiet a sex scandal ahead of the 2016 president election. 

The jury asked for an extra 30 minutes to fill out the verdict forms.

Eric Trump is back sitting in the first row behind his father in the courtroom, having briefly exited after hearing the news that the jury reached a verdict.

Donald Trump was leaning back in his chair when the judge took the bench. He kept a straight face when the judge announced there was a verdict.

Attorney Todd Blanche is whispering in Trump’s ear. Trump crosses his arms in front of his chest and nods slightly.

Judge Juan Merchan said, “Please let there be no reactions, no outbursts of any kind,” when they read the verdict.

Trump was leaning back in his chair when the judge took the bench. He kept a straight face when the judge announced there was a verdict.

Trump just leaned over to talk to Bove. His hands are folded in front of his stomach.

The jury has reached a verdict in Donald Trump’s hush money criminal trial. 

The verdict will be read in court shortly. 

Donald Trump is saying “Thank you” to the court staff in the well and pointing to them.

Trump’s demeanor is perhaps the most relaxed it’s been inside the courtroom since jury selection, as he’s leaning back chatting with attorney Todd Blanche and thanking various staff.

Trump and Blanche have been chatting on and off for the past few minutes, with both of them smiling and laughing at points. A couple times when he and Blanche stopped talking, Trump would reach out and lightly swat Blanche’s arm to get his attention and then they’d start talking again.

Judge Juan Merchan says he’s going to excuse the jury at 4:30 p.m. ET today.

Merchan says he asked the parties to come in now so he could tell them that he’s going to send the jury home for the day.

He’s now stepped off the bench, and says he’ll be back in a few minutes.

The prosecution team has entered the courtroom as has Donald Trump.

Trump could be heard saying “I want to campaign” in the hallway as he walked in.

The jury has been deliberating for more than 11 hours at this point.

Trump has a smile on his face, laughing a bit with his attorney Todd Blanche as he sits down.

Before the jury received instructions and began deliberating, the defense and prosecution gave their closing arguments in Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial.

They offered the jury opposing stories about the payment made to Stormy Daniels in October 2016 and the subsequent reimbursement to Michael Cohen the following year. Which narrative the jury believes could ultimately decide Trump’s legal fate.

Here are some takeaways from the closing arguments:

Defense argues jurors cannot convict on Michael Cohen’s words: Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche was up first, and he spent much of his two-hour closing argument attacking the credibility of Cohen, Trump’s former fixer.

Prosecution defends Cohen but argues there’s more to the case: Over four hours and 41 minutes, Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass pushed back against Blanche’s attacks, arguing there was plenty of corroboration of Cohen’s testimony, both from documents and the testimony of others, particularly former AMI chief David Pecker.

As the jury was deliberating on Thursday, Donald Trump posted on social media that the instructions given by Judge Juan Merchan were “unfair.”

In a second post on Truth Social, Trump criticized Merchan, saying he was biased and complaining about the gag order.

Some context: Trump has repeatedly made the gag order sound far broader than it is. He claimed at a campaign rally that “I’m not even supposed to be, I would say, talking to you, because he gagged me” – though the gag order actually says nothing to prevent him from making a campaign speech.

Merchan wrote in the gag order: “Defendant has a constitutional right to speak to the American voters freely, and to defend himself publicly.”

The jury has now had the case for more than 11 hours.

The panel of 12 New Yorkers will determine whether former President Donald Trump is guilty of 34 felony charges of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to an adult film star before the 2016 presidential election.

Jurors were asked to surrender their phones during deliberations, and can only discuss the case when all 12 of them are together at the Manhattan courthouse.

They must be unanimous if they find Trump guilty on each count – on whether he committed the crime personally, acted in concert with others or both.

Former President Donald Trump has claimed that Judge Juan Merchan “is not requiring a unanimous decision on the fake charges against me” as the jury deliberates in the hush money trial against him.

Trump made the claim in a social media post on Wednesday in which he described Merchan’s supposed position as “RIDICULOUS, UNCONSTITUTIONAL, AND UNAMERICAN.” He was echoing assertions that had been circulating among conservatives after Fox News anchor John Roberts wrote on social media earlier on Wednesday that “Judge Merchan just told the jury that they do not need unanimity to convict.”

Facts First: Trump’s claim inaccurately depicts what Merchan said.

Merchan told the jury in his instructions on Wednesday that their verdict “must be unanimous” on each of the 34 counts that Trump faces and that, to convict Trump of felony falsification of business records, they have to unanimously agree that he falsified business records with the intent to commit, aid or conceal another crime — that other crime being a violation of a New York election law.

But Merchan explained that while this New York election law prohibits people from conspiring to use “unlawful means” to promote a candidate’s election, jurors don’t have to unanimously agree on which particular “unlawful means” Trump may have used. They can find him guilty as long as they unanimously agree that Trump used some unlawful means. Prosecutors provided three theories of what unlawful means Trump used.

CNN’s Jeremy Herb contributed reporting to this post.

After closing arguments Tuesday, former President Donald Trump posted on social media to repeat his misleading complaint that Judge Juan Merchan has prevented him from employing a certain defense in the hush money trial against him.

Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social: “THE GREATEST CASE I’VE EVER SEEN FOR RELIANCE ON COUNSEL, AND JUDGE MERCHAN WILL NOT, FOR WHATEVER REASON, LET ME USE THAT AS A DEFENSE IN THIS RIGGED TRIAL. ANOTHER TERM, ADVICE OF COUNSEL DEFENSE!” He added in another post on Wednesday morning: “RELIANCE ON COUNSEL (ADVISE OF COUNSEL) NOT ALLOWED BY MERCHAN, A FIRST.”

Facts First: Trump’s claim remains misleading. He didn’t mention, again, that the reason Merchan will not allow Trump’s legal team to invoke “advice of counsel” during the trial is that, when Trump was asked before the trial whether he would be using an “advice of counsel” defense, his lawyers told Merchan he would not.

An “advice of counsel” defense typically requires the defendant to waive attorney-client privilege. Trump’s lawyers told Merchan before the trial that instead of a “formal” defense of “advice of counsel,” Trump wanted to use a different defense in which he would not waive attorney-client privilege but would still “elicit evidence concerning the presence, involvement and advice of lawyers in relevant events giving rise to the charges in the Indictment.”

Merchan rejected this proposal. He wrote in March: “To allow said defense in this matter would effectively permit Defendant to invoke the very defense he has declared he will not rely upon, without the concomitant obligations that come with it. The result would undoubtedly be to confuse and mislead the jury. This Court can not endorse such a tactic.” Therefore, Merchan ruled, Trump could not invoke or even suggest a “presence of counsel” defense in the trial.

Last week, during courtroom discussions about Merchan’s instructions to the jury, Merchan rejected an attempt by Trump’s defense to invoke the “involvement of counsel.” Merchan noted he had already made his stance on the proposal clear.

Our CNN reporters are seated inside the courtroom as the jury continues deliberating.

There are also four members of the public sitting inside along with the group of reporters.

The jury in Donald Trump’s historic criminal hush money trial continues to deliberate at the Manhattan courthouse.

The panel has had the case for more than 10 hours.

Jurors were asked to surrender their phones during deliberations, and can only discuss the case when all 12 of them are together. Read the judge’s jury instructions.

Here are key things to know about what happens during jury deliberations:

The jury will notify the court when they’ve reached a verdict. The foreperson will deliver the decision for each count after deliberations are over.

The jury must be unanimous in its decision on each of the counts.

As the jury continues deliberations, here’s what you should know about the hush money payment that is at the heart of this trial:

According to prosecutors, on October 27, 2016, Michael Cohen paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 to her attorney through a shell company in exchange for her silence about an affair she allegedly had with Donald Trump in 2006.

Trump has publicly denied having an affair with Daniels and denied making the payments.

Prosecutors say Daniels first brought her story to American Media Inc., whose executives brought the story to Cohen on Trump’s behalf.

According to prosecutors, Trump directed Cohen to delay making the payment as long as possible, telling him if they delayed after the election they could avoid paying it at all.

The former president has been accused of taking part in an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election and an unlawful plan to suppress negative information, which included the payment to Daniels.

Prosecutors say Trump allegedly disguised the transaction as a legal payment and falsified business records numerous times to “promote his candidacy.”

Read a full timeline of the hush money case.

The jury has now had the case in its hands for more than nine hours.

The panel of 12 New Yorkers will determine whether former President Donald Trump is guilty of 34 felony charges of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to an adult film star before the 2016 presidential election.

Jurors were asked to surrender their phones during deliberations, and can only discuss the case when all 12 of them are together at the Manhattan courthouse.

They must be unanimous if they find Trump guilty on each count – on whether he committed the crime personally, acted in concert with others or both.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum was spotted outside the Manhattan courthouse where the jury is deliberating in Donald Trump’s hush money trial. 

CNN photojournalist Rick Hall saw Burgum — who is on the list of potential Trump running mates — walking north on Centre Street past the press pit with Trump campaign spokesperson Jason Miller. 

A Trump campaign official confirmed Burgum is in the courthouse hold room. 

A spokesperson for Burgum confirmed he is at the courthouse today but did not provide additional details about his visit. 

No cameras are allowed inside the Manhattan courtroom where Donald Trump’s hush money trial is underway, but sketch artists are capturing the scenes.

This morning, the 12 jurors were read back testimony from witnesses Michael Cohen and David Pecker, as well as portions of the judge’s instructions on the law before they left the courtroom again to continue deliberations.

In this sketch from court, one court reporter read the questions as the lawyer, while the court reporter sitting in the witness seat read the answers to the questions.

Former President Donald Trump listens and Judge Juan Merchan reads instructions to the jury on Thursday, May 30, in New York.

Judge Juan Merchan on Thursday.

Two court reporters participate in a testimony re-reading.

Former President Donald Trump.

As the jury deliberates, it has to decide whether it will convict or acquit Donald Trump on each of the 34 different counts he is facing.

This means there are multiple possible outcomes. CNN anchor and legal expert Laura Coates breaks it down:

The jury must be unanimous in its decision on each count.

Through witness testimony and exhibits, prosecutors tried to prove during the trial that Donald Trump falsified business records to cover up hush money payments made to prevent adult film star Stormy Daniels’ claim of an affair with Trump from becoming public before the 2016 presidential election.

During closing arguments, the defense sought to poke holes in the testimony of the prosecution’s key witness, Michael Cohen, and maintained that the former president is innocent. Now the decision of whether to convict Trump is in the hands of 12 jurors.

Here’s a timeline CNN compiled of key events at the center of the hush money case that prosecutors walked the jury through during the trial:

See a full timeline on the case.

This sketch shows Michael Cohen, right, in court on Tuesday, May 14, in New York.

Twenty two witnesses testified in Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial. Prosecutors called 20 witnesses over 19 days in court, totaling over 50 hours of testimony.

Defense attorneys called two witnesses over two days, with around two hours of testimony.

Trump’s ex-attorney and fixer Michael Cohen, adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former White House aide Hope Hicks were among the high-profile witnesses.

Here’s who the jury heard from throughout the trial:

CNN’s Kara Scannell, Lauren Del Valle, Jeremy Herb and Celina Tebor contributed reporting to this post.

Former President Donald Trump and his team have been watching news coverage of the trial on a television that was brought into the room they are waiting in, two sources familiar with the setup tell CNN.

Trump has also spent a lot of his time watching clips of allies and surrogates defending him on television. The clips were sent to him and advisers at the courthouse, one source said.

A jury of 12 New Yorkers — seven men and five women — will determine whether Donald Trump is guilty of 34 felony criminal charges of falsifying business records in connection with allegedly concealing reimbursements to his then-lawyer Michael Cohen for a purported hush money scheme to silence adult film star Stormy Daniels about an affair.

Trump vehemently denies the relationship with Daniels and has pleaded not guilty to all charges. A felony conviction of a former president and current GOP frontrunner would be unprecedented. 

Apart from the 12 jurors deliberating in Donald Trump’s hush money trial, six alternate jurors were selected before the opening statements began. They are not participating in deliberations, but they have to remain in the Manhattan courthouse.

Judge Juan Merchan on Wednesday thanked the alternates for their diligence before telling them they were not excused. “We’re not going to excuse you just yet. Please remain with us because there might be a need for you at some point during deliberations,” Merchan said.

“You’ve been with us for a long time, and you’ve been incredibly diligent, incredibly hard-working,” Merchan told the alternates.

Some background: New York criminal procedure law outlines several cases in which an alternate would replace a juror, and that juror would be dismissed, during a trial or deliberations.

Some of those reasons include if a juror gets sick “or other incapacity,” the juror is not available to serve on the jury anymore or a juror does not show up to court, among others.

The jury has now had the case in its hands for more than seven hours.

The panel of 12 New Yorkers will determine whether former President Donald Trump is guilty of 34 felony charges of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to an adult film star before the 2016 presidential election.

All 12 jurors have to be present to deliberate and they must be unanimous if they find Trump guilty on each count – on whether he committed the crime personally, acted in concert with others or both.

Will Scharf, an attorney for former President Donald Trump, said that Trump’s team is prepared to appeal a jury verdict if Trump is convicted.

“If there were to be a conviction here, which we believe would be a gravely unjust verdict, we would speedily appeal to the New York Appellate division, potentially to the New York Court of Appeals as well. And we’ll take that step if we get there,” Scharf told CNN’s Jake Tapper.

“But so far, we think that appears to be a highly unlikely outcome here,” Scharf added.

Judge Juan Merchan delivered his instructions to jurors yesterday before they began deliberations in former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial.

The jury asked in a note for the judge to re-read portions of them in court today.

Here’s what Merchan told jurors in his instructions yesterday:

Read the full jury instructions here.

Donald Trump is accused by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office of 34 state felony criminal charges of falsifying business records, specifically pertaining to 11 invoices, 12 vouchers and 11 checks.

Prosecutors allege the payments were not a retainer for legal services, as they were recorded, but were reimbursements for paying off adult film star Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence and the life rights to her story in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election. While on the stand, Trump’s former attorney and fixer Michael Cohen implicated Trump in the hush money scheme, saying he doled out $130,000 with Trump’s approval and was promised reimbursement. 

Paying hush money is not a crime. What prosecutors alleged is that Trump intentionally falsified documents to conceal his repayment to Cohen under the guise of a retainer for legal services to hide damaging information from voters during the 2016 presidential election. 

According to the statute, for Trump to be guilty of a felony charge of falsifying business records, jurors must find Trump not only “cause(d) a false entry in the business records of an enterprise” while acting “with intent to defraud,” but also that the “intent to defraud includes an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof.” 

Prosecutors allege the underlying crime was trying to illegally influence the 2016 presidential election.

A new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll is the latest to suggest that any verdict in Donald Trump’s hush money trial is unlikely to have a major effect on voters’ choices come November.

Those figures are similar to other recent polling on the topic, including a May Quinnipiac poll which found that 65% of registered voters said that if Trump were convicted it would be unlikely to change their position on the presidential race. 

Most notably in the new polls, just a small share of people who support Trump say that a guilty verdict would dissuade them from supporting him.

A CNN poll conducted in April as the trial’s jury was being selected found that only 24% of registered voters who support Trump said they might even reconsider their support if Trump were convicted of a crime. 

Questions like this do not always align with the reality of how voters behave and often overstate the potential for movement, as many poll respondents use them as opportunities to express opinions they already hold.

For example, 24% of people who already support Trump in both the Marist and Quinnipiac polls say a conviction would make them MORE likely to support Trump, meaning that while a conviction might strengthen their loyalty for Trump, it wouldn’t change their vote.

Likewise, although almost 30% of Democrats in each poll say they would be less likely to back Trump if convicted, less than 10% currently do support Trump in the presidential race, meaning most of those who say they would be “less likely” to vote for Trump did not support him in the first place.

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump exits the courtroom for a break in his criminal trial at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, on May 30.

With the readback concluded, Trump stands and flashes a thumbs up to someone seated in the gallery.

Holding a stack of papers, he exits with his legal team, pumping his fist as he enters the courtroom hallway.

The judge is off the bench, and prosecutors have also left the courtroom.

If you are just joining us, here’s what you missed:

A third note: The jury sent a new note this morning at 9:32 a.m. Here were their requests:

Remember: The jury was not given a written copy of Merchan’s charging instructions when they began deliberating yesterday. While most federal judges will send the actual document with the jury as it deliberates, New York state courts forbid this practice.

You can read the full jury instructions here.

Testimony reading: After the jury was dismissed yesterday, attorneys for both sides hashed out which sections of testimony would be read to the jurors. Here are the pieces of testimony the jury requested:

Scene in the courtroom: In the testimony re-reading, one court reporter read the questions as the lawyer, while the court reporter sitting in the witness seat read the answers to the questions. Both women were reading with classic New York accents, while most of the jurors watched and some took notes.

The court reporters read the transcript word-for-word, but left out the objections. If an objection was sustained, they skipped over that Q&A.

Former President Donald Trump falsely claimed Wednesday that Judge Juan Merchan “is not requiring a unanimous decision on the fake charges against me.”

Trump made the claim in a social media post in which he described Merchan’s supposed position as “RIDICULOUS, UNCONSTITUTIONAL, AND UNAMERICAN.” He was echoing assertions that had been circulating among conservatives after Fox News anchor John Roberts wrote on social media earlier on Wednesday that “Judge Merchan just told the jury that they do not need unanimity to convict.”

Facts First: Trump’s claim inaccurately depicts what Merchan said.

Merchan told the jury in his instructions on Wednesday that their verdict “must be unanimous” on each of the 34 counts that Trump faces and that, to convict Trump of felony falsification of business records, they would have to unanimously agree that he falsified business records with the intent to commit, aid or conceal another crime – that other crime being a violation of a New York election law.

Prosecutors provided three theories of what unlawful means Trump used. Merchan told the jury: “Although you must conclude unanimously that the defendant conspired to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means, you need not be unanimous as to what those unlawful means were. In determining whether the defendant conspired to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means, you may consider the following: (1) violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act otherwise known as FECA; (2) the falsification of other business records; or (3) violation of tax laws.”

Lee Kovarsky, a University of Texas law professor who has been following the trial, put it this way on social media on Wednesday: “If a law says NO VEHICLES IN THE PARK & list of vehicles includes mopeds and motorcycles, all the instruction means is that you need unanimous conclusion of vehicle but not unanimous on whether vehicle was moped or harley.”

The 12-person jury is leaving the courtroom to continue deliberations in Donald Trump’s hush money trial.

We’ve moved on to the jury’s fourth request for testimony that will be read back to them in court: Michael Cohen discussing a 2015 meeting at Trump Tower.

This is the same meeting that David Pecker discussed in testimony read back to the jurors a short time ago.

Cohen was responding to questions from prosecutor Susan Hoffinger in this portion of his testimony. Trump’s longtime fixer rehashed the meeting between then-National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, Trump and himself. It included discussion about how the magazine could help Trump’s campaign, including by potentially giving Cohen advance notice of damagin stories about Trump and trying to stop it, he testified.

Trump is writing notes on Post-its and passing them to his attorneys as the testimony readback continues. He handed one to Emil Bove and another to Todd Blanche.

Blanche passed him a note back, and Trump hunched over to read it before placing it on the table.

Trump has also turned to Bove to whisper something, and continues to pass notes back and forth with the attorneys.

This is happening as the jury hears the court reporters read the cross-examination of David Pecker about the Trump Tower meeting.

The court reporter on the witness stand has her pages of the transcript marked with blue tabs. There have been a few brief pauses as they make sure they’re all on the same page to read back.

Merchan and his staff attorney have been following along with the readback on a screen together, while three prosecutors sitting in a row at their table each read the transcripts from individual binders.

We’re moving on to another request from the jury: for the court reporters to re-read former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker’s testimony about a meeting at Trump Tower in 2015.

The first part of that testimony being read back in court includes Pecker recalling the timing of the meeting, which he said was held in August, and that Donald Trump, Trump’s fixer Michael Cohen and longtime aide Hope Hicks were present.

The reporters go on to read a portion of Pecker’s testimony where he says that he expected there to be women coming forward to sell stories about Trump during his presidential campaign — both because Trump was a well-known eligible bachelor and because it’s common when people run for public office in general.

In the testimony, Pecker recalls saying he would notify Cohen if he was aware of any such stories on the market.

Jurors then hear the portion of Pecker’s testimony where he says he believed it could be “mutually beneficial” for the National Enquirer and for Trump for the magazine to write positive stories about Trump and write negative stories about his opponent.

Pecker then responds to questions about helping Cohen potentially purchase stories about Trump with the intent of not running them, and about how that specifically would benefit Trump’s campaign.

The court reporters have started reading a transcript of David Pecker’s direct examination by prosecutor Joshua Steinglass regarding the decision not to be repaid by Trump for Karen McDougal’s life rights.

The first exchange reporters are re-reading in court is from David Pecker’s testimony about a phone call directly with Trump.

The portion of the transcript read back to the jury includes questions about whether Pecker remembered the call, and whether the former National Enquirer publisher believed Trump was aware of former Playboy model Karen McDougal’s description of an affair between the two.

In that testimony, Pecker recalls that Trump told him, “I spoke to Michael” regarding the situation, and that Trump had said over the phone that McDougal was a “nice girl.”

The court reporters are telling the jurors who is speaking at the start of each passage they read. They note that the third passage was cross-examination by Trump lawyer Emil Bove before reading back the testimony.

As the reporters finish reading the first exchange, Trump is leaning over to speak to Bove.

The court reporters are reading the transcript word-for-word, but leaving out the objections. If an objection was sustained, they are skipping over the exchange.

One court reporter is reading the questions while the court reporter sitting in the witness seat reads the answers to the questions.

The two court reporters, both women, are reading as the lawyer and witness, both speaking with classic New York accents.

Most of the jurors are watching the court reporters reading. Some are taking notes.

The first one is David Pecker’s testimony about the call with Trump.

Judge Juan Merchan has now finished re-reading the portions of the jury instructions that jurors requested.

When Merchan finished reading, Trump wrote a note and passed it to his attorney Todd Blanche.

After re-reading through parts of the jury instructions, Judge Juan Merchan asks the jurors, “Was that responsive to you?”

The jury foreperson answers, “yes.”

Judge Juan Merchan has finished rereading the jury instructions. They are now turning to the readback of the some key witness testimony, including Michael Cohen and David Pecker.

Some jurors are taking notes as Judge Juan Merchan moves through this section:

“The people allege that the other crime the defendant intended to commit, aid, or conceal is a violation of New York Election Law section 17-152.

Section 17-152 of the New York Election Law provides that any two or more persons who conspire to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means and which conspiracy is acted upon by one or more of the parties thereto, shall be guilty of conspiracy to promote or prevent an election.” 

And now for the “unlawful means” explanation: “Although you must conclude unanimously that the defendant conspired to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means, you need not be unanimous as to what those unlawful means were.

In determining whether the defendant conspired to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means, you may consider the following: (1) violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act otherwise known as FECA; (2) the falsification of other business records; or (3) violation of tax laws.”

Judge Juan Merchan is re-reading the definitions in the law for enterprise, business record and intent.

“As I previously explained, a person acts with intent to defraud when his or her conscious objective or purpose is to do so. In order to prove an intent to defraud, the people need not prove that the defendant acted with the intent to defraud any particular person or entity. A general intent to defraud any person or entity suffices. Intent to defraud is also not constricted to an intent to deprive another of property or money and can extend beyond economic concerns,” Merchan says.

Merchan also goes over the part of the law that raises the charge to a felony: “For the crime of falsifying business records in the first degree, the intent to defraud must include an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof. Under our law, although the people must prove an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof, they need not prove that the other crime was in fact committed, aided, or concealed.”

Trump’s chin is resting on his chest as Judge Juan Merchan goes through requirement to find the defendant guilty of falsifying business records in the first degree.

This part of the jury instructions reads, in part:

Judge Juan Merchan is now re-reading the part of his instructions to the jury regarding how the law addresses the concept of an accomplice.

The instructions say in part: “Under our law, Michael Cohen is an accomplice because there is evidence that he participated in a crime based upon conduct involved in the allegations here against the defendant.”

“Our law is especially concerned about the testimony of an accomplice who implicates another in the commission of a crime, particularly when the accomplice has received, expects or hopes for a benefit in return for his testimony.”

The takeaway for jurors is that, “Even if you find the testimony of Michael Cohen to be believable, you may not convict the defendant solely upon that testimony unless you also find that it was corroborated by other evidence tending to connect the defendant with the commission of the crime,” Merchan tells them.

Trump is leaning back now in his chair with his eyes closed.

Judge Juan Merchan, meanwhile, is moving through the “credibility of witnesses” section for his instructions to the jury.

This part of the jury instructions says they “may consider whether a witness had, or did not have, a motive to lie” and “may consider whether a witness hopes for or expects to receive a benefit for testifying.”

Judge Juan Merchan is now re-reading the part of his instructions to the jury that cover reasonable doubt.

The instructions say in part: “Proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt is proof that leaves you so firmly convinced of the defendant’s guilt that you have no reasonable doubt of the existence of any element of the crime or of the defendant’s identity as the person who committed the crime.”

“Whatever your verdict may be, it must not rest upon baseless speculation. Nor may it be influenced in any way by bias, prejudice, sympathy or by a desire to bring an end to your deliberations or to avoid an unpleasant duty,” Merchan adds.

Trump is leaning back in his chair and is turned toward the judge as he speaks to the jury.

Judge Juan Merchan is turned in his chair to face the jury.

One of the jurors is scribbling notes as Judge Juan Merchan re-reads the rain metaphor section about inferring from facts.

“An inference must only be drawn from a proven fact or facts and then only if the inference flows naturally, reasonably, and logically from the proven fact or facts, not if it is speculative,” Merchan reads.

These instructions were originally read to the jury yesterday, but the jurors have requested parts of them be read to them again.

Judge Juan Merchan has started reading the jury instructions back.

The reading came after the jury foreman asked aloud in court to have the instructions read back first.

Merchan said earlier that pages six to 35 will be read.

You can read the full jury instructions and follow along here.

Judge Juan Merchan tells the jury they’ve located the relevant excerpts for the read back and are ready to do that shortly.

The jury is entering the courtroom. The juror alternates are in the room, too.

Meanwhile, Judge Juan Merchan is rereading the notes.

Donald Trump briefly fiddled with his tie as Merchan began rereading the notes.

Judge Juan Merchan says the jury has requested several parts of his instructions to them be re-read, including a metaphor about rain.

Here’s that metaphor, which was originally read in court yesterday:

We’re waiting for the jury to enter the courtroom.

Judge Juan Merchan says he will read pages six to 35 of the jury instructions.

More context: The jury was not given a written copy of Merchan’s charging instructions when they began deliberating yesterday. While most federal judges will send the actual document with the jury as it deliberates, New York state courts forbid this practice.

Merchan told the court moments ago that the jury is requesting the re-reading of the judge’s instructions starting with how the jury considers facts and what inferences they can be drawn from it, including a metaphor about rain.

The jury is also asking to hear the instructions related to the charges for count one.

The full jury instructions can be found here.

The second request in the note is for headphones to use with the evidence laptop.

Judge Juan Merchan says they can provide them headphones or speakers. Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass suggests they give them both.

Judge Juan Merchan also said he would include all of the disputed witness testimony that had been discussed yesterday in the readback to the jury.

That includes another section pointed out by prosecutor Joshua Steinglass.

Remember: After the jury was dismissed Wednesday, attorneys for both sides hashed out which sections of testimony would be read to the jurors. They requested three sections of testimony involving AMI chief David Pecker, and one section involving Michael Cohen’s testimony about the August 2015 Trump Tower meeting.

This morning’s note includes two requests.

Judge Juan Merchan says the jury is requesting the re-reading of the judge’s instructions starting with how the jury considers facts and what inferences they can be drawn from it, including a metaphor about rain.

The jury is also asking to hear the instructions related to the charges for count one.

Judge Juan Merchan says the court received a new note this morning.

The note was sent at 9:32 a.m. ET.

Judge Juan Merchan is in the courtroom as the jury is set to continue to deliberate on the hush money case against Donald Trump.

The jurors will likely start the day off with a readback of four separate parts of witness testimony as well as a repeat of the judge’s instructions on the law—requests that they submitted to the court while deliberating yesterday.

Here are the pieces of testimony the jury requested:

Jurors also want to re-hear Merchan’s instructions on the law that he had given them yesterday.

Merchan has asked the jury to clarify this morning whether they wanted the entire, hourlong presentation to be read back, or if there were just portions of it that they needed to hear one more time.

Trump is now in the courtroom alongside his attorney Todd Blanche. Trump quickly scanned the galley right and left on his walk in.

His son Eric Trump is the only member of the Trump family in court today.

Trump, using his finger, summoned Eric to stand up so he could talk to him.

Former President Donald Trump addressed reporters before heading into court Thursday, claiming he would love to answer their questions, but he couldn’t due to his gag order.

As he does most mornings before his trial begins, Trump took aim at the charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, again claiming that they were politically-motivated.

“I haven’t seen one legal scholar or expert in the law saying that this case should have been brought,” he said.

Like he did yesterday, Trump referenced media mentions about the case, reading out different analyses on the case to reporters.

Finishing his remarks, Trump called the charges a “disgrace” and again criticized the security present outside the courthouse.

“This is a very sad day for America. The whole world is watching. And it’s a very sad day for New York.” “The whole system is rigged,” he claimed.

Prosecutors are entering the courtroom ahead of the second day of jury deliberations in Donald Trump’s historic criminal hush money trial.

The jury’s request to hear testimony again around a meeting at Trump Tower is a natural place to start deliberations, CNN legal analysts say.

Prosecutors say David Pecker, Donald Trump and Michael Cohen were all present at a 2015 meeting at Trump Tower. It’s the moment when Pecker allegedly agreed to be the “eyes and ears” for Trump’s campaign and flag any negative stories to Cohen.

“So it’s a perfectly natural, logical place for the jury to start,” he added.

The jury deliberated for more than four hours yesterday after getting the case.

CNN legal analyst Elliot Williams said these requests likely suggest the jury is trying to understand Trump’s intent. They are trying to figure out what Pecker, Trump and Cohen talked about and if Trump knew he was directing or participating in a scheme, Williams said.

The defense previously argued that the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels was carried out by Cohen alone, while the prosecution has been trying to show Trump knew what was happening the whole time.

Former President Donald Trump exits Trump Tower to attend his criminal trial over charges that he falsified business records at Manhattan criminal court in New York City on May 30.

Donald Trump departed Trump Tower moments ago and is en route to the downtown Manhattan courthouse, where a jury is set to continue a second day of deliberations to determine his legal fate in his historic criminal hush money trial. 

A tense waiting game is underway as the jury will likely start the day off with a readback of four separate parts of witness testimony as well as a repeat of the judge’s instructions on the law—requests that they submitted to the court while deliberating on Wednesday.

The 12 jurors— seven men and five women — will determine whether Trump is guilty of 34 felony criminal charges of falsifying business records in connection with allegedly concealing reimbursements to his then-lawyer for a purported hush money scheme to silence an adult film star about an affair shortly before the 2016 presidential election.

Jurors will return to court at 9:30 a.m. ET to resume deliberations.

Trump and the attorneys will remain in the courthouse while the jury deliberates. Trump’s team has a war room of sorts and will be in there at times during jury deliberation. 

The jurors’ request to re-hear the judge’s jury instructions indicates that the instructions “were way too much for any human being to absorb and make sense of,” CNN legal analyst Elie Honig said Wednesday.

While it’s unusual for juries to want to hear the whole set of instructions again, it is common for them to come back with a request to hear a much more specific part of instructions, Honig explained.

But ultimately, this jury request “underscores the craziness of not sending the jury instructions back,” Honig said.

Judge Juan Merchan went through “50-something pages of legal instructions” Wednesday morning, Honig noted, adding that while most federal judges will send the actual document with the jury as it deliberates, New York state courts forbid this practice.

What’s happening this morning: Merchan has asked the jury to clarify this morning whether they wanted the entire, hourlong presentation to be read back, or if there were just portions of it that they needed to hear one more time.

You can read the full jury instructions here.

Former President Donald Trump sits in a courtroom at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on Thursday.

The jury in Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial finished its first day of deliberations Wednesday without reaching a verdict after meeting for more than four-and-a-half hours.

Jurors will return on Thursday morning at 9:30 a.m. ET to resume deliberations.

Wednesday afternoon, the jury asked to hear a readback of four separate parts of witness testimony, including from former National Enquirer chief David Pecker and Trump’s former fixer Michael Cohen.

Here are the pieces of testimony the jury requested:

Jurors also want to re-hear Judge Juan Merchan’s instructions on the law that he had given them earlier Wednesday morning.

Here are the key things to know about those instructions:

The mood flips from torpor to high tension in a second on the high-security 15th floor of the grimy old Manhattan courthouse where a jury will resume deliberations on Donald Trump’s fate Thursday morning.

Seven men and five women jurors, headed by a foreperson who grew up in Ireland, were deep into a fourth hour of their historic task when they shattered the oppressive tedium of Wednesday afternoon.

A buzzer demanding the judge’s attention sounded, suddenly sending lawyers, court staff, police and reporters rushing for their seats. Then Trump arrived from his holding room, tugging heavily on his lapels.

In the end, the alarm did not herald a verdict in the hush money trial that could brand the 45th president a convicted felon. It was a note from the jury asking for a read back of several long and dense pieces of testimony, from former tabloid kingpin David Pecker and the star prosecution witness, Trump’s former fixer Michael Cohen.

Their testimony gets right to the question of Trump’s intent in seeking to snuff out scandalous stories about his personal life, which may shed light on the payoff to adult film star Stormy Daniels facilitated by Cohen, according to prosecutors, under his boss’ orders. (Trump has denied the alleged affair with Daniels and pleaded not guilty in the case.)

As Judge Juan Merchan and lawyers combed transcripts filled with complex and sometimes seedy testimony, the buzzer buzzed again, with a new request from the locked down jury.

Reporters in an overflow courtroom groaned when it emerged that jurors wanted to hear Merchan’s instructions — which he spent a painstaking hour reading aloud Wednesday morning — all over again.

The jury’s desire to wade through testimony suggested that no verdict was imminent — and that they grasped the magnitude of their duty in a case that is critical to Trump’s reputation and the nation’s future.

Read the full analysis.

Jurors deliberated for more than four hours on Wednesday and sent two notes with requests: One asking the judge to re-read some testimony and the other to re-hear Judge Juan Merchan’s jury instructions.

The first note contained four requests, according to Merchan.

The second note came shortly after the first and jurors requested to re-hear jury instructions.

“We the jury request to rehear the judge’s instructions,” the note read.

In New York, jury instructions are not sent back. CNN legal analyst Elie Honig noted that “Judge Juan Merchan went through 50-something pages of legal instructions” this morning. He added that while most federal judges will send the actual document with the jury as it deliberates, New York State courts forbid this practice.

We are in the seventh week of court proceedings in Donald Trump’s historic hush money criminal trial.

To refresh your memory, here are the key moments and witnesses from the trial so far:

April 15: Trial began with jury selection.

April 19: A panel of 12 jurors and six alternates was selected.

April 22: The prosecution and defense made their opening statements. Former tabloid boss David Pecker was called to testify.

April 23: Judge Juan Merchan held a Sandoval hearing for Trump’s alleged gag order violations, but reserved his decision. Pecker continued his testimony.

April 25: While Trump sat in the Manhattan courtroom listening to Pecker’s testimony, the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., heard arguments on the matter of his immunity in special counsel Jack Smith’s election subversion case against him.

April 26: Pecker’s direct questioning and cross-examination concluded. Trump’s former longtime assistant Rhona Graff was called to testify briefly. Michael Cohen’s former banker Gary Farro was then called to the stand.

April 30: Farro’s testimony concluded. Prosecutors then called Dr. Robert Browning, the executive director of C-SPAN archives, and Philip Thompson who works for a court reporting company. Then, Keith Davidson, the former attorney for Daniels and McDougal, took the stand. Also, Merchan fined Trump $9,000 for violating a gag order.

May 2: Davidson’s testimony concluded. Digital evidence analyst Douglas Daus was called to testify.

May 3: After Daus finished testifying, Georgia Longstreet, a paralegal at the district attorney’s office, spoke about reviewing Trump’s social media posts for this case. She was followed by Hope Hicks, once a longtime Trump aide. Her highly-anticipated testimony was a little less than three hours.

May 6: Prosecutors called two witnesses who worked in accounting in the Trump Organization: Jeffrey McConney, a former Trump Org. controller, and Deborah Tarasoff, an accounts payable supervisor.

May 7: Prosecutors called Sally Franklin, the senior vice president and executive managing editor for Penguin Random House publishing group. After her testimony, Stormy Daniels was called to the stand.

May 9: Stormy Daniels finished her testimony, with the defense trying to undermine her credibility by pointing out inconsistencies in her story on cross-examination.

May 10: Former White House aide Madeleine Westerhout’s testimony concluded. Then prosecution called several custodial witnesses to the stand.

May 13: Former Trump attorney and the prosecution’s key witness, Michael Cohen, started testifying.

May 14: The prosecution completed direct questioning of Cohen and Trump’s defense began cross-examination.

May 16: Trump’s defense grilled Cohen, putting into question a key 2016 October call and asking him about the times he lied under oath.

May 20: Cohen wrapped up his testimony and the prosecution rested its case. The defense called its first witness, Daniel Sitko, a paralegal for defense attorney Todd Blanche. After a short round of questioning, the defense called up Robert Costello, a lawyer with a connection to Cohen.

May 21: Costello’s testimony concluded. Then the defense rested its case without calling Trump to take the stand. The judge and attorneys for both sides also hashed out jury instructions.

May 28: The defense and prosecution presented their closing arguments. The court ran long on this day.

May 29: Judge Merchan went through jury instructions and the jurors began deliberating. They sent two notes, requesting to re-hear the judge’s jury instructions and one asking to be read back some testimony from witnesses Michael Cohen and David Pecker.

Read a full timeline of key moments here.

Throughout his closing arguments on Tuesday, defense attorney Todd Blanche continued to raise the concept of reasonable doubt with the jury – even punctuating the conclusion of his closing argument with “10 reasons” why jurors should have reasonable doubt about the case.

Here’s the full list, according to Blanche:

Why this matters: Prosecutors needed to make a case with credible arguments that remove any reasonable doubt and compel jurors to convict Trump. The presence of any reasonable doubt is enough to acquit, experts say.