Biden calls Trump 'reckless' over attacks on court

The dramatic climax to Trump's hush money trial came five months before the November 5 election, when the tycoon hopes to unseat Biden and make a shocking return to power.
Speaking in New York, Trump, 77, confirmed he would appeal the verdict, which he branded a "scam."
He billed the event as a press conference but did not take questions, insteadlaunching into an extraordinary 35 minutes of insults, non-factual claims andnon-sequiturs that reflected his seething anger, reports BSS.
Trump called Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over his trial, a "tyrant" andclaimed that he "literally crucified" witnesses.
"This man who looks like an angel, but he is really a devil," Trump said inthe remarks, which were carried live by all the major US television networks.
Speaking at the White House, where he was announcing a major new peaceproposal for Gaza, Biden said Trump's attacks on the court were "dangerous."
"It's irresponsible for anyone to say this was rigged just because they don'tlike the verdict," Biden said.
"The justice system should be respected. We should never allow anyone to tearit down."
"The American principle that no one is above the law was reaffirmed," Bidensaid.
Biden's election campaign described Trump as "confused, desperate anddefeated."
- Sentencing on July 11 -
On Thursday, a jury found Trump guilty on all 34 charges of falsifyingbusiness records to hide a hush money payment to silence porn star StormyDaniels.
Prosecutors successfully laid out a case that Trump was afraid that Danielswould fatally harm his 2016 presidential campaign by going public with analleged sexual encounter, prompting him to pay her -- then illegally hide thetransaction.
Trump, speaking in his signature Manhattan Trump Tower, repeated previousassertions that he had done nothing wrong.
But he frequently veered into attacks on Biden, as well as against illegalimmigrants, who he said were speaking "languages unknown" and include manyterrorists, as well as "a lot of people" released from prisons.
"They're coming in from all over the world into our country, and we have apresident and a group of fascists that don't want to do anything about it,because they could right now. Today, he could stop it. But he's not. They'redestroying our country," Trump said.
Trump faces a potential prison sentence but is much more likely to receiveprobation.
Merchan set sentencing for July 11 -- four days before the RepublicanNational Convention in Milwaukee, where Trump is due to receive the party'sformal nomination.
- From court to campaign -
Although the verdict does not prevent Trump from continuing his election bid,it does cast the already tense contest into even more unpredictable waters.
Trump's campaign immediately made a fundraising pitch after the verdictfeaturing a picture of the 77-year-old and the claim: "I am a politicalprisoner!"
According to the campaign, $52.8 million in donations flooded in, crashingthe website.
"From just minutes after the sham trial verdict was announced, our digitalfundraising system was overwhelmed," the campaign said.
In addition to the New York case, Trump faces three far more serious criminalindictments over his attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden andhoarding of top-secret documents at his home in Florida.
Those cases, however, are not likely to go to trial before the Novemberelection.
Biden has so far been cautious about making Trump's multiple legaldifficulties an election issue. As president, he is keen to avoid givingammunition to Republicans who claim he is meddling in the justice system.
Meanwhile, there was criticism from a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin,whose rule has seen dozens of political opponents, journalists and humanrights campaigners murdered. He claimed that the jury trial was a "de-factoelimination of political rivals."
"I would say that's a classic case of projection," countered US Secretary ofState Antony Blinken, while attending a NATO meeting in Prague.
In Italy, the far-right deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, said Trump wasthe "victim of judicial harassment."