Despite conviction, Trump vows to fight on | The Excerpt

On Saturday’s episode of The Excerpt podcast: Paste BN Justice Department Correspondent Bart Jansen looks at former President Donald Trump's Friday comments following his hush money case conviction. President Joe Biden said Israel has offered a new cease-fire proposal. Some pro-Palestinian student protesters say schools are withholding diplomas. Paste BN National Reporter Lauren Villagran puts Mexico's presidential election Sunday in context. Marian Robinson, the mother of former first lady Michelle Obama, has died.

Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it.  This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

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Taylor Wilson:

Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson, and today is Saturday, June 1st, 2024. This is The Excerpt.

Today, a look at Trump's first comments on the campaign trail following his guilty verdict. Plus, Israel offers a ceasefire proposal, and Mexico elects a new president.

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Beginning life as a presidential candidate with a criminal conviction, former President Donald Trump vowed yesterday to move forward by trying to convince voters that his hush money trial was a political plot. I caught up with Paste BN Justice Department correspondent Bart Jansen for a look at how Trump is talking about the conviction in its aftermath on the campaign trail. Bart, thanks for hopping on.

Bart Jansen:

Thanks for having me.

Taylor Wilson:

So Bart, in the wake of this verdict, Donald Trump is now working to convince voters that the trial was politically motivated. What is he saying on that note?

Bart Jansen:

He gave a lengthy statement at Trump Tower on Friday morning, basically reciting all of the criticism that he'd used in hallway statements to reporters during the trial. He didn't take the stand himself to testify. He said there were too many concerns that the prosecutors would delve into past business deals or litigation that he's had. And so his lawyer said, "Well, why bother with that?" But he has been sharply critical of the judge in the case of the judge not moving the case to a different jurisdiction where there'd be a different pool of potential jurors. He's criticized a number of the decisions that the judge made, such as putting restrictions on potential witnesses that he thought would work in his favor. And so all those things combined leaves him saying that the trial was rigged, that it was a political witch hunt, and he has vowed to appeal it to try to overturn the decision.

Taylor Wilson:

And as you mentioned, Bart, Trump notably did not testify in this hush money trial. How really is he explaining that to voters?

Bart Jansen:

Well, on Friday, he said that they could have questioned, well, was he a good boy for this? Was he a bad boy for that? He was, I think, obliquely referring to a couple of civil lawsuits that were brought against him last year, well, finally brought to trial last year. In one case, he was found liable for defamation of a columnist E. Jean Carroll who had accused him of sexual assault decades earlier. He denied her claims and so she sued him for defamation, and Trump lost that case and was ordered to pay her $83 million. In addition, the State of New York sued him over false valuations of his real estate over a period of a decade, and the State won a judgment of more than $450 million. So combined, a half a billion dollars in two lawsuits. And he's appealing both decisions, but there's a number of allegations from those cases alone that could be brought up. And of course, he's been involved in litigation for decades.

Taylor Wilson:

And Bart, the presumptive Republican nominee is also claiming that he's seen a major fundraising boost in the wake of this verdict. What's he saying and what's the latest there?

Bart Jansen:

He did. There's a bit of a question about the actual number. The campaign had boasted that they raised $35 million in the hours after the verdict was announced. At his statement to Trump Tower, Trump said that he had raised 39 million in the 10 hours after the verdict. So either way, it's a significant sum. That's the kind of number that you'd see in maybe a month of fundraising at this stage in the presidential campaign. So it's a significant number and he says that came in mostly from low dollar donors, meaning that a broad portion of the country, it was supporting him in his efforts to continue fighting this case. He suggested that perhaps the verdict backfired on Democrats who were opposed to him.

Taylor Wilson:

All right. Bart Jansen covers the Justice Department for Paste BN. Thank you, Bart.

Bart Jansen:

Thanks for having me.

Taylor Wilson:

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden spoke out yesterday about Trump's guilty verdict.

Pres. Joe Biden:

They found Donald Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts. Now, he'll be given the opportunity as he should to appeal that decision just like everyone else has that opportunity. That's how the American system of justice works. And it's reckless, it's dangerous, it's irresponsible for anyone to say this was rigged just because they don't like the verdict.

Taylor Wilson:

You can follow along with more coverage of the days following the historic conviction throughout the weekend on usatoday.com.

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President Joe Biden said Israel has offered a comprehensive new proposal to ensure an enduring ceasefire and the release of all hostages after months of failed negotiations. Biden said the new proposal is "one that brings all the hostages home, ensures Israel's security, creates a better day after in Gaza without Hamas in power, and sets the stage for political settlement that provides a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike".

The proposal which has three phases has been relayed by Qatar to Hamas, he said. The first phase would last six weeks and includes a full and complete ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza, the release of a number of hostages, including women, the elderly, and the wounded, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Phase two would include the release of all remaining living hostages, including male soldiers, in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. And phase three would include a major reconstruction plan for Gaza and the bodies of any other hostages killed in captivity would be returned to their families.

Hamas said on Thursday it had told mediators it would not take part in more negotiations during ongoing hostilities, but it was ready for a complete agreement, including an exchange of hostages and prisoners if Israel stopped the war. Talks to arrange a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have previously repeatedly stalled, with both sides blaming the other for the lack of progress.

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Some pro-Palestinian student protestors say colleges and universities are withholding their diplomas. Students, some of whom say they faced arrests, expulsions, suspensions, and other disciplinary action, say they're in limbo and are being made into examples. As they await appeals processes and the results of university investigations, they're preparing for an uncertain future. In the worst-case scenario, they'll be saddled with debts and will have no degree to show for it. But while the stakes are high, many told Paste BN that they don't regret their part in campus protests over Israel's military campaign in Gaza.

Devron Birx, a Vanderbilt student who was arrested and expelled following the occupation of a campus building said, "I have these punishments and have to work through this stress, but it's incomparable to the plight of Palestinians. I don't regret it and I don't think I ever will." You can read more with a link in today's show notes.

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In a historic election tomorrow, Mexican voters are expected to, for the first time, elect a woman, most likely a woman of Jewish ancestry to lead the country. I spoke with Paste BN national reporter Lauren Villagran for a look back at the outgoing president and a look ahead at what's next for Mexico. Lauren, thanks for hopping on today.

Lauren Villagran:

Thanks. Nice to be here.

Taylor Wilson:

So Lauren, before we get to this election, would you just help us get a sense of the outgoing president? This is Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, also known as AMLO. And what's his relationship with the United States been like?

Lauren Villagran:

Oh, it's been checkered, Taylor. AMLO, as you mentioned, as he is known in Mexico, hasn't been very interested in working with the United States on key issues and has preferred instead to focus on domestic issues. He's a populist. He's a nationalist. And interestingly, the Mexican presidency lasts six years, which means he's been president first during the administration of former President Donald Trump, and then through the four years of President Joe Biden. He got along well with Trump. They both had a similar approach, sort of around personality politics, and was content to be able to focus on issues in Mexico and not have to deal with too much, as he might put, meddling by the United States. When President Biden took office, there was more interest in working together on issues of human rights and other things like that and Lopez Obrador has not been interested.

Taylor Wilson:

So shifting gears, how has this race for his successor shaping up? Who are the candidates? And I know there's one in particular who appears to be the favorite to win Mexico's presidency on Sunday.

Lauren Villagran:

Yeah. It's a three-way race, Taylor, but polls show Claudia Sheinbaum with a 20-point lead, sometimes more, sometimes less, but always in the double digits. And Sheinbaum is Lopez Obrador's preferred candidate. She belongs to his political party, and the political capital that he had built up over a lifetime career in politics in Mexico is really serving her well. The other candidates are Xochitl Galvez who is in the second place position right now according to polls, and a third candidate, Jorge Maynez.

Taylor Wilson:

So what are the issues that Mexicans care about the most in this moment, and how are we seeing those play out this election?

Lauren Villagran:

Mexicans are feeling in a lot of ways the way Americans are feeling in our presidential election year. They're concerned about economic security. They're concerned about inflation. But what Mexicans are also very worried about is the state of security in their country. Violence is rampant, tied to organized crime, and there's a prevailing view that even though the ruling party, Morena, is very popular, that the party has not done enough on matters of security. And the challengers to Claudia Sheinbaum are trying to capitalize on that.

Taylor Wilson:

Of course, the US and Mexico have this close but complicated relationship. How will this election and its outcome impact the US?

Lauren Villagran:

It's going to be really interesting to watch, Taylor, because of course we have a presidential election here and we don't know who's going to win and what their relationship will be like with the incoming president of Mexico. What we do know is that the likely next president of Mexico will be a woman. And if it's Sheinbaum, experts say we should expect more of the same. She has promised to continue Lopez Obrador's agenda. If Galvez was to pull off a Hail Mary here, I think we're probably going to see increased cooperation on matters of business. The USMCA, which is the free trade agreement between Mexico, the United States, and Canada, is up for a potential renegotiation in 2026. So there's a lot riding on the relationship between the US and Mexico for our shared economy.

Taylor Wilson:

A great breakdown for us as always. Lauren Villagran covers the border and immigration for Paste BN. Thank you, Lauren.

Lauren Villagran:

Thanks, Taylor.

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Taylor Wilson:

Marian Robinson, the mother of former First Lady Michelle Obama and mother-in-law of former President Barack Obama, has died. The former first lady said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that her mom was her rock and the same steady backstop for her entire family. Robinson raised her daughter in the Chicago South Side neighborhoods that would become her son-in-law's political home base. She grew up one of seven children and studied to be a teacher before meeting Michelle's father, Fraser Robinson. Together, they raised the former first lady and her brother Craig. Eventually, she became a constant presence in the Obama's life and became part of the first family. At the White House, she helped with the Obama children, Malia and Sasha. The not one for the glamour of Washington, she did make a point of asking to meet the Pope while she had the chance, the family said. After the White House, she returned to Chicago, according to a family tribute. Marian Robinson was 86.

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According to the UN's annual World Happiness Report, America's youth are deeply unhappy. Why? And perhaps more importantly, how do we fix that? Be sure to tune into the excerpt tomorrow as my co-host Dana Taylor is joined by wellbeing expert, Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, who shares his insights. You could find the episode beginning at 5:00 AM Eastern Time right here on this feed.

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And today is the first day of Pride month. Pride commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York, celebrates the LGBTQ community and the fight for equal rights.

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Thanks for listening to The Excerpt. You can get the podcast wherever you get your pods. And if you're on a smart speaker, just ask for The Excerpt. I'm Taylor Wilson and I'll be back Monday with more of The Excerpt from Paste BN.