'Great Damage Was Done Today': Elon Musk Speaks Out On Donald Trump's Hush Money Conviction

Telsa CEO Elon Musk came out in support of Donald Trump hours after he became the first US president to be convicted of a crime on Thursday when a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying documents to cover up a payment to silence a porn star ahead of the 2016 election.

The 12-member jury pronounced Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts he faced. A New York court set sentencing for July 11, just days before the Republican Party is scheduled to formally nominate Trump for president ahead of the Nov. 5 election. Trump, however, has denied wrongdoing and is expected to appeal.

“Indeed, great damage was done today to the public’s faith in the American legal system. If a former President can be criminally convicted over such a trivial matter – motivated by politics, rather than justice – then anyone is at risk of a similar fate,” the Tesla CEO said in a post on X.

READ MORE: ‘Real Verdict On Nov 5’: Trump Defiant After Historic Hush Money Conviction, Supporters Rally Behind Him | Watch

Supporters of Trump, enraged by his conviction on 34 felony counts by a New York jury, flooded pro-Trump websites with calls for riots, revolution and violent retribution. After Trump became the first U.S. president to be convicted of a crime, his supporters responded with dozens of violent online posts.

Some called for attacks on jurors, the execution of the judge, Justice Juan Merchan, or outright civil war and armed insurrection. Threats of violence and intimidating rhetoric soared after Trump lost the 2020 election and falsely claimed the vote was stolen.

As he campaigns for a second White House term, Trump has cast the judges and prosecutors in his trials as corrupt tools of the Biden administration, intent on sabotaging his White House bid.  On Truth Social, he called Merchan “HIGHLY CONFLICTED” and criticized his jury instructions as unfair.

One commentator responded by posting a picture of a hangman’s platform and a noose with the caption: “TREASONOUS MOBSTER OF THE JUSTICES SYSTEM!!” After Thursday’s verdict, many of his supporters also said that his conviction was proof that the American political system was broken and that only violent action could save the country. House Speaker Mike Johnson said it was a “shameful day in American history” and the charges were “purely political.”

Ohio Senator JD Vance said the verdict was a “disgrace to the judicial system.” And Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, the No. 2 House Republican, said that the decision was “a defeat for Americans who believe in the critical legal tenet that justice is blind.” Republicans who have in the past been divided over support for their presumptive GOP presidential nominee found common ground in attacking the judge, the jury and President Joe Biden.

(With agency inputs)