The response to Thursday’s guilty verdict against former President Donald Trump in his New York “hush money” trial was varied across the Bay Area, whether speaking to political figures or ordinary residents.
Some local politicians were undeterred when expressing their views on the verdict.
East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell pointed out X in his post and said: “Donald Trump is a convicted felon. This verdict is not a victory for one person. It’s a victory for an idea. The idea that we all follow the same rules. The rule of law won today.”
Also San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu posted about the statement about X. He said: “Trump has long ignored the rule of law, but today a jury sent a clear message that no one is above the law. Voters across the country need to wake up to the fact that Trump is a convicted felon and unfit for office. .”
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi was more measured when she posted to the social media platform early Thursday evening, saying, “This moment is a somber one for America. Trial by a jury of one’s peers is a fundamental principle of democracy that must be respected.”
CBS News Bay Area also spoke with some Bay Area Republican Party representatives, including San Francisco Chairman John Dennis. He reiterated what Trump himself has said that the trial is a politically motivated criminal prosecution.
“This is a bad look for the country,” Dennis said. “We represent ourselves as an example of a republic and democracy in the world and today we really showed that we are something other than that.”
“In my 35 years as a lawyer, I have never seen a judge act as far outside the law as this judge. As a historian I can say that this period will probably be seen as the period when those in power stepped down. It costs a lot of money to protect their power,” said Tom Del Beccaro, former chairman of the Republican Party of California. “In 2015 I wrote a book called The Divided Era and this will only further divide America.”
California Republican Party Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson released the following statement regarding the verdict:
“Today’s guilty verdict marks a dark day for our justice system and our nation that should never have happened. From the very beginning, this was a politically motivated case brought by a far-left prosecutor. Despite Democrats’ attempts to interfere After the presidential election, Americans will have the final say in November when they re-elect President Trump and send him back to the White House to fix the Biden administration’s many failures and restore our nation on the road to success.’
People CBS News Bay Area spoke to responded with a series of comments.
Pleasanton resident Corey Morgenthaler said he was somewhat surprised by the outcome.
“I didn’t expect the full 34 counts, so I’m a little surprised there,” Morgenthaler said. “But I kind of expected there would be a guilty outcome.”
When asked if he thought the verdict would change people’s minds about who they support, he said, “I think because he’s a convicted felon, there will be some impact.” I don’t know if it will change the outcome. one way or another, but I think it will definitely influence some of the votes.”
He also thought Trump would likely use the verdict to rally his supporters.
“He’s kind of a master propagandist, for better or for worse,” Morgenthaler said. “I think he will certainly exploit it as much as possible in the media, but I think the American people will understand it, and most of them will take this for what it is, which is a crime. “
Angela Wipfli, another Pleasanton resident, was surprised.
“I said ‘Wow!’ because I wasn’t sure they would do it,” Wipfli said.
She also said she didn’t think the verdict would affect his support.
“According to the polls I’ve seen, anything else he does has no impact on his poll numbers,” she said.
Anne Makovec contributed to this story.
