News summary of the trial of Donald Trump, convicted in the silent money case

President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign rally at Girard College on May 29 in Philadelphia. (Image source: Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)

Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump drew attention to what is at stake in the November election in the moments following Trump's conviction Thursday, as Republicans rushed to defend the former president.

“There is only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box,” Biden wrote on social media, attaching his letter to a fundraising page.

While Trump called the accusations in his criminal trial of paying for silence in New York a “disgrace,” he also pointed to the presidential election scheduled for this fall.

“The real verdict will be rendered by the people on November 5th,” Trump told reporters outside the courthouse in Manhattan. “They know what happened here, everyone knows what happened here.”

News of Trump's conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records sent shock waves through all campaigns.

Republican candidates for governor, Senate and House of Representatives have largely sided with Trump, while Democrats have largely avoided details of the case but said justice prevails.

The former president's allies on Capitol Hill were quick to join him, with top Republicans attacking the justice system in the wake of the ruling while highlighting the importance of the 2024 election and making calls for fundraising of their own.

For their part, Democrats showed a more muted reaction, with many making no comments immediately after the ruling. On Thursday, some Republicans who oppose Trump distanced themselves from the former president.