Donald Trump recently stated that his historic trial and criminal conviction have been “very hard” on his wife, former First Lady Melania Trump.
Last week, a jury found Trump guilty of falsifying business records to cover up hush-money payments made to former porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election.
With this verdict, Trump became the first US president to be convicted of a crime.
He has consistently denounced the trial as rigged and politically motivated.
In a weekend interview with Fox News, Trump expressed his determination to achieve success in the upcoming November US election, describing it as his “revenge”.
He is scheduled for sentencing on July 11 and intends to appeal the convictions.
During the interview, Trump emphasized that the New York legal proceedings have been particularly challenging for his wife.
The trial revealed explicit details about the alleged encounter between Trump and Daniels, including Trump greeting her in silk pyjamas in his hotel suite and Daniels’ assertion that he did not use protection during their alleged sexual encounter.
Daniels also testified that the Trumps sleep in separate beds.
“She’s fine, but I think it’s very hard for her,” Trump remarked about his wife, noting that “in many ways, it’s tougher on them [his family] than it is me.”
Under New York law, each of the 34 felony counts Trump was convicted of could lead to up to four years in prison, though this outcome is unlikely.
Trump acknowledged the possibility of imprisonment, stating that he is “okay with it” but doubted that the public would accept it.
“I think it would be tough for the public to take,” he said.
“You know, at a certain point there’s a breaking point.”
In another weekend interview, Stormy Daniels expressed surprise at the jury’s swift verdict.
Speaking to the UK newspaper The Mirror, Daniels suggested that Trump “should be sentenced to jail and some community service working for the less fortunate,” adding that he could be a “volunteer punching bag at a woman’s shelter.”
Daniels emphasized that the case remains unresolved for her.
“It’s never going to be over for me,” she said.
“Trump may be guilty, but I still have to live with the legacy.”
Trump faces numerous other charges in three additional criminal cases, including allegations in Georgia of conspiring to overturn his narrow defeat by President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
This case is currently in the appeals process.
In Florida, where he is accused of mishandling classified documents, a judge has indefinitely postponed the trial, deeming it “imprudent” to set a date before resolving evidence-related issues.
