Former NBA guard J.R. Smith reacted on social media to former president Donald Trump being found guilty on 34 charges of falsifying business records in his hush money criminal trial involving Stormy Daniels.
Trump became the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes. He also faces three more felony indictments. Following the verdict, the former president called the trial “rigged,” and he is expected to appeal the verdict.
“This was a rigged, disgraceful trial,” Trump said to reporters after leaving the courtroom. “The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people. They know what happened, and everyone knows what happened here.”
He is still running for president again in the 2024 election, and the recent trial may be the only one of Trump’s felony indictments that will be concluded by the November election.
Two of the other three felony indictments (one in Washington and one in Atlanta) that Trump faces are in connection to the 2020 election, as they allege that he conspired to overturn the result. Joe Biden, the current president, defeated Trump in the 2020 election.
The final indictment is in Florida, where he is charged with illegally hoarding top-secret records.
Trump’s tenure in the White House was a tumultuous one, as he went through two impeachments in addition to the messy break that occurred at the end of his tenure. On Jan 6., 2021 while Congress was meeting to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, a mob stormed the United States Capitol. Five people ended up being killed in the riot.
Smith certainly offers an interesting point when it comes to Trump’s campaign, but as of now, it appears the verdict will not prevent him from running for office.
A two-time NBA champion, Smith played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Hornets, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers in a lengthy NBA career. He won the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award in the 2012-13 season while with the Knicks.
Ultimately, it will be up to the American people to decide whether or not Trump will be the president once again this coming election season.
