Ivanka Trump has broken her silence and spoken out in support of her father after the former president’s historic criminal conviction at his hush money trial in New York.
The former first daughter, who also served as a special advisor during Donald Trump’s time in office, posted a heartfelt message to her Instagram, shortly after her father was found guilty of all felony charges on Thursday
A jury convicted Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 election. Ms Daniels says that they had a sexual encounter in 2006, which the former president denies.
Jurors announced they had reached a verdict in the historic criminal trial at 4.20pm on Thursday, just as Justice Juan Merchan prepared to dismiss them for the day.
Shortly after the verdict was announced Ms Trump shared a picture of herself as a young girl sat on her smiling father’s lap. “I love you dad,” she wrote, with a heart emoji.
Her public display of support for her father comes in stark contrast to Trump’s wife, former First Lady Melania Trump, who has not been seen throughout the six-week trial. She has not yet commented publicly.
The alleged payments were made to keep the affair between Daniels and Trump secret – an affair that happened shortly after Melania gave birth to son Barron.
Stephanie Grisham, who served as White House Press Secretary from 2019 to 2021, told CNN that a reporter’s relentless questions about the whereabouts of Melania “absolutely” perturbs the former president.
“Oh absolutely I know it bothers him,” Grisham told Erin Burnett on Wednesday. “That kind of thing would bother him if Mrs Trump wasn’t at some event and it was really noted he would definitely bring it up with her.”
Despite the absence of Melania Trump, the former president’s eldest son – Donald Trump Jr – was extremely vocal on Thursday about the verdict.
“Such bulls***,” Trump Jr wrote on X. On Wednesday, he had shared a video with his father from inside the Manhattan courthouse joking about writing mean tweets.
“Guilty on all counts,” he later added. “The Democrats have succeeded in their years long attempt to turn America into a third-world s******. November 5 is our last chance to save it.”
Trump, the presumptive Republican candidate in the 2024 race, is now the first convicted felon to run for the White House. He maintained his innocence even post-conviction on Thursday.
“I am a very innocent man,” he said, speaking in the hallway of the courthouse after the verdict was read. He railed against the trial calling it “rigged” and “a disgrace”, before saying that the “country was going to hell”.
Trump will return to Manhattan criminal court on July 11th for sentencing.