Trump’s guilty verdict: How DeSantis, Florida politicians are reacting

Former President Donald Trump is guilty, a New York jury decided on Thursday, making him the first U.S. president convicted of a felony.Trump was accused of falsifying business records as he paid off adult film star Stormy Daniels after their sexual encounter, in one of four cases in which Trump has been indicted. Despite his indictments, Trump has remained incredibly popular among the Republican Party and is the party’s presumed 2024 presidential nominee.Outside the courthouse, Trump told reporters the verdict was a “disgrace” and the result of “a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who is corrupt.”“We didn’t do a thing wrong. I’m a very innocent man,” he said. “Our whole country is being rigged right now. ... Our country’s gone to hell.”Several state politicians, including south Florida state Sen. Jason Pizzo , suggested the verdict means Trump won’t be able to vote for himself in November. While Florida does bar people convicted of felonies from voting if they haven’t completed all terms of sentence, that doesn’t apply when someone is convicted in a different state that does not bar felons from voting, according to the Florida Secretary of State . New York allows people convicted of felonies to vote, as long as they’re not incarcerated, according to PolitiFact . Trump has not yet been sentenced, so he should still be eligible to vote in Florida.Here’s what Florida politicians are saying about the jury’s verdict.DeSantis, who ran against Trump for the Republican nomination for president only to become a begrudging ally, said the trial represented little more than political theater. “Today’s verdict represents the culmination of a legal process that has been bent to the political will of the actors involved: a leftist prosecutor, a partisan judge and a jury reflective of one of the most liberal enclaves in America — all in an effort to ‘get’ Donald Trump,” he posted on X.Scott, who jointed Trump at the courthouse during the trial as a show of support, said the case was the “clearest example we’ve ever seen of election interference.” He accused President Joe Biden and the “Democrat machine” as the ones behind the case.Rubio, who has been floated as a possible vice presidential pick for Trump, said Thursday’s verdict “makes a mockery of our system of justice,” and also accused Biden and the “Trump deranged left” of pursuing the case with political motives.Gaetz, a longtime Trump supporter, posted on X that he believed the trial was a sham. “This verdict is the corrupt result of a corrupt trial, a corrupt judge, and a corrupt DA,” he wrote. “We will stand with President Trump now more than ever to save the country.”Donalds, a Naples Republican whose name has been floated as a potential vice presidential pick, called the outcome a “disaster.” “This verdict is a disaster for New York City, the State of New York, & our nation,” he wrote. “People will see this political prosecution for what it is. Remember this in November.”The state’s top financial official said the verdict made the United States look like a “banana republic.”“To orchestrate charges in an election year for something years earlier just to try and take out a political opponent — this is what people have been fleeing in 3rd World countries for decades. Embarrassing. Low point in American history. Sad day.”In a statement, Lee said the jury’s decision was the result of a “political witch hunt supported by the very people who are supposed to hold our judicial system to the highest standard.” Lee, a Republican and a former judge and prosecutor, also said she thinks that the jurors never got to hear evidence that would exonerate Trump.Trump a couple months ago called for a “MAGA” Republican to run against Lee, who represents parts of Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties.Castor, a Democrat who represents Tampa and part of St. Petersburg in Congress, said that “Americans deserve better” than Trump, whom she called a “poor role model for young people.”The Pasco House member said the verdict makes the United States look like “Russia or Venezuela.”“The verdict out of NYC is a weaponization of our legal system like never before seen in America,” he said. “The rigged Judge should be held accountable but obviously will not in the liberal cesspool of Manhattan! This shall strengthen the will of America to not become Russia or Venezuela!”The Pinellas Republican blamed “radical leftists” for trying to “destroy” the former president. “The State of New York should be using its public resources to combat rampant crime and illegal immigration in their state, but they instead spent taxpayer dollars to stack up a Soviet style kangaroo court,” he stated. “This is a shameful and dangerous misuse of our legal system.”On social media, Ingoglia wrote that “if they can do this to Trump they can do it to anyone.” He followed up by saying he expects Trump to appeal and win for lack of due process.Tampa Democrat Driskell said that the verdict was an “unprecedented moment in our history” and that Americans needed to come together to reject corruption.Perez, who will lead the Florida House in 2025 and 2026, said on social media that the case from its outset was a “verdict in search of a crime.”“This election should be decided by the people of the United States not by a handful of Manhattanites,” he said.“From a corrupt District Attorney to a rigged judge making a mockery of our judicial system, President Trump’s guilty verdict comes as no surprise,” the head of Florida’s Republican Party said in a statement . “Trump Derangement Syndrome was alive and well in that New York courtroom, but here in the real world, Donald Trump’s support only grows stronger. ... This political witch hunt does nothing more than make fools out of the Democrats. They can’t win with a failing, senile old man on the ballot, so they must resort to election interference. Americans see right through it!” Times correspondent William March contributed to this report. This is a developing story. Check Tampabay.com for updates.

Regions

Topics

Featured

Latest News

Most Read in News

Like This

Trump’s guilty verdict: How DeSantis, Florida politicians are reacting

MORE FOR YOU

Featured

Latest News

Most Read in News

Like This

Trump’s guilty verdict: How DeSantis, Florida politicians are reacting

MORE FOR YOU

ONLY AVAILABLE FOR SUBSCRIBERS