John McGuigan, a self-described “gay for Trump”, had been staking out the New York courthouse on Thursday evening, hoping to wave to the former president as his motorcade made its way home after another uneventful day in his criminal trial.
Then came the surprise news that the jury had reached a verdict: guilty on all 34 charges. Soon McGuigan found himself standing witness to history as the first ever US president was convicted of criminal charges.
“I was shocked beyond belief,” he said, looking like a man who had lost his balance and could not manage to regain it.
A block away, in the park opposite the courthouse, Linda, a retired cardiologist, also seemed to stumble into the Trump verdict. She had wandered by on a whim while heading home to Brooklyn. She could not conceal her jubilation.
“It’s not so much about Trump — it’s about what he represents,” she explained. “He’s an autocrat.”
Across the country, Trump’s conviction on all charges in a case that stemmed from his “hush money” payments to a former adult film actor, prompted scenes of agony and ecstasy among fans and foes. In his hometown of New York, though, where Trump is deeply unpopular, the reactions tilted more to the latter.
Much like the day Trump’s electoral defeat was made official nearly four years ago, spontaneous celebrations cropped up in pockets around the heavily Democratic city and car horns hooted in apparent celebration.
On one street corner near the courthouse, a man called out the charges, one by one. Each time, the crowd roared: “Guilty!”
“There is justice in America!” a woman exulted as celebrants streamed into the park.
The atmosphere surrounding the trial had a dark edge from its earliest days when a Florida man doused himself in petrol and set himself alight in the small concrete park across from the courthouse. He died soon after.
Day in and day out, a collection of pro-Trump, carnivalesque characters gathered in the same park — often in costume, and often shouting profanities. A cast of Republican politicians, including Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House of Representatives, turned up to show fealty to Trump in what became centre stage for campaigners in the 2024 election.
Most melted away shortly after 4pm on Thursday when it was announced that the judge had sent the 12-member jury home after a second day of deliberations. A sense of calm prevailed on a temperate Spring evening — and was then upended when it emerged that a verdict was, in fact, at hand.
Andrew Giuliani, the son of the former New York City mayor and failed gubernatorial candidate, had regularly attended the trial to support a man he considered a second father. He was angry.
“I can’t tell you of a day when I’ve been more disappointed by my fellow New Yorkers,” he fumed as he surveyed the celebrations in the park. He urged Maga supporters to refrain from violence and “hug their families” that evening — and then make themselves heard at the voting booth in November.
He claimed to have looked Trump in the eye before the former president stepped into his car to flee the court. “He was stern, he was serious, he was resolute,” Giuliani assured.
On a nearby street corner, McGuigan and other Trump supporters alternated between rage and confusion as they ambled away from the courthouse in what looked like a retreat. There were occasional skirmishes and ugly exchanges with the celebrants.
The group deliberated over where to go and what to do. No one had a plan. Finally, an older man carrying an oar with an American flag affixed to it, declared: “We’re going to Trump Tower.”
At around the same time, Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, and his team of prosecutors were assembling for a press conference in the grand government building beside the courthouse.
Bragg, a Democrat, in 2021 became the first Black man elected to occupy the post. But he has since faced heavy criticism for his management of the Trump file.
Two years ago, prosecutors quit in frustration after Bragg pumped the brakes on the investigation. Many legal observers questioned the strength of the case he ultimately decided to bring. Trump, meanwhile, attacked him relentlessly as a pandering and politicised hack.
On Thursday evening, with the opportunity to bask in the glory, Bragg played the part of the staid law man.
“I did my job,” he said, tamping down any trace of emotion. “Our job is to follow the facts without fear or favour. And that’s what we did here.”