Controversial UK broadcaster Piers Morgan is lashing out at the verdict in the Donald Trump hush money trial, saying the conviction on all 34 counts is a "massive overreach" over "something so trivial".
On Friday morning (NZ time), Trump made history as the first US president to be convicted of a crime after a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying documents to cover up a payment to silence a porn star ahead of the 2016 election.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) that was viewed over 1.2 million times in 90 minutes, Morgan said it was "a sad, shameful and ridiculous day for America".
"To drag a former President, who is running for President again, through criminal courts over something so trivial feels a massive overreach & an incredibly divisive and obviously politically partisan action."
The comments from Morgan, who does not have any legal expertise, have proven incendiary, with many replying that he should "stop covering up for Trump".
"Falsifying business and tax records is trivial?" one commented, while another said: "He was convicted of ELECTION INTERFERENCE using ELECTION FRAUD. He broke the law. It has nothing to do with politics. It has to do with what is legal and what is not."
"Wrong. This is a great day demonstrating nobody is above the law. Stop covering for Trump it is grotesque," another wrote.
"He committed a crime, he was rightfully charged, and now he's a convicted felon, based on a jury of his peers, using real evidence, and not MAGA gaslighting."
Morgan then doubled down on his comments in a follow-up post, saying: "Trump's donation websites are crashing... my guess is this verdict will propel him back into the White House."
Trump himself has called the trial a "disgrace" and labelled it a "rigged trial".
"We didn't do a thing wrong. I'm a very innocent man," he said after leaving the courtroom as a convict.
Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, said the "real verdict is going to be November 5 by the people", referring to the upcoming US general election.
