ABC News investigative reporter Peter Charalambous was in the New York courtroom when Donald Trump heard the verdict.
“It was stunning in person in a way; I couldn’t believe what I was seeing as it was happening in real time,” he shared. “The former president thought the jury was going home for the day. He was laughing, he was happy. He was giddy at the counsel table around four o’clock, and then the mood all of a sudden changed around 4:30.”
What happened when Judge Juan Merchan told the parties that a verdict had been reached?
“There was an audible gasp in the courtroom when that happened, and we had to wait. The former president sits frozen at the council table near the expression list. Basically, as we waited, the jury came in,” Charalambous shared.
“The foreman rose from the jury box and read count by count 34 times the same word, guilty. When the former president heard it for the first time, you could see him. He was frozen. His eyes appear to be closed. By the time he heard it for the fourth time, he shook his head.
He didn’t appear to look at the jury. The jury didn’t directly look at him. They both kind of froze in time. In a way, it was stunning, and by the time it was all said and done, the former president got up from his chair. He looked as red as I’ve ever seen him.
He looked a bit stunned. You could see it on his face. In a way, it kind of looked reminiscent of that famous Georgia mugshot he took last year. He looked into the gallery. He reached for the hand of his son Eric, the only family member present, and then he made his way out of that courtroom.
