History was made Thursday (May 30) when former President Donald Trump became the first president in our nation’s history to be convicted of a crime. Jason Aldean is just one of several country stars speaking out against the conviction.
Donald J. Trump, who served as President from 2017 to 2021 is currently seeking a non-consecutive second term. Trump was accused of “falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels to influence the 2016 contest.”
After a month-long trial in which he did not testify, Trump was unanimously found guilty of 34 felony counts. He is set to be sentenced on July 11th, although it’s likely that his team will pursue an appeal. If his appeal fails or his team decides against pursuing one, he could face up to 4 years in prison. NPR reports that “as a first-time, white-collar offender, no jail time is necessary, and he could receive probation instead.”
This case, dubbed “The Hush Money Trial,” is one of four involving the former President ahead of the 2024 election. Trump has long cited the charges as “election interference” as he pursues another presidency.
It appears that Thursday’s conviction and any subsequent convictions will have little negative effect on Donald Trump’s campaign.
If anything, the decision bolstered the confidence of his followers, many of whom took to social media to make their feelings known following the trial decision. One such supporter was country star Jason Aldean.
Aldean, an outspoken conservative and longtime advocate for Donald Trump, posted a message to Instagram that read,
“Scary times in our country right now, man. When a former POTUS gets treated like this by our justice system, what does that mean for the rest of us??? If there was ever a time to speak up, ITS NOW! Make no mistake…. We are in trouble.”
The message was posted alongside a photo of an upside-down American flag, “a signal of dire distress.”
Donald Trump spoke to reporters as he left the New York City courthouse following the conviction.
Speaking to the media, the former President called the trial “a disgraced” and “rigged.”
“The real verdict is gonna be November 5th by the people,” Trump said. “And they know what happened here, and everybody knows what happened here.”
Trump called himself “a very innocent man,” and stood by his decision to fight for our country and constitution, a stance he claims his opposition is clearly against.
“Our whole country is being rigged right now. This was done by the Biden administration in order to wound or hurt a political opponent. I think it’s just a disgrace,” he said. “We’ll keep fighting ’til the end and we’ll win because the country’s gone to hell, and we don’t have the same country anymore.”
He concluded by saying, “We have a divided mess. We’re a nation in serious decline … We have a country in big trouble.”
Watch Donald Trump’s address to reporters after his conviction in the video below.