After hours of deliberations, a jury of Donald Trump's New York City peers convicted the former U.S. president of 34 charges in relation to a hush-money scheme ahead of the 2016 presidential election. He is the first former U.S. president in history to hold a felony conviction.

"This is a very sad day for America; the whole world is watching," Trump said to the press following the verdict. "It's all rigged 鈥� the whole system is rigged."

Here are some reactions from critics, supporters and commentators in just the first 24 hours:

MAGA supporters decry 'injustice'

Allies of the former president took to social media to decry the jury's decision and to reaffirm their support for Trump.

"Absolute injustice. This erodes our justice system," wrote in a post to X, formerly Twitter. "We the People stand with Donald J. Trump."

A vocal supporter of the former president in the months since stepping down from the primary race, Scott's name has circulated as a potential choice of running mate in this year's presidential election, for which Trump is the presumptive GOP nominee.

 

"Guilty on all counts. The Democrats have succeeded in their years long attempt to turn America into a third-world (expletive)," reads an X post from , Trump's eldest child and a frequent representative for him at events on the 2024 campaign trail.

Political opponents stern, reflective

For some of those against Trump in the political arena, those who did respond to the news intially, did so relatively soberly.

"This moment is a somber one for America," wrote U.S. House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat. "Trial by a jury of peers is a fundamental principle of democracy, which must be respected."

 

"No one should be above the law. Not even former presidents," wrote Robert Reich, former U.S. Secretary of Labor and a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. "."

Others pondered the alternative paths the case could have taken.

Horror novelist Stephen King described Trump to have tried putting himself in a "."

"If the jury found him innocent, he could have said they saw it for what it was, a politically motivated witch hunt. Found guilty, he can say it was rigged by Joe Biden, who had nothing to do with it," he said.

"Any one of these jurors could have hung the jury, gone public, and been set for life as a right-wing media darling," wrote David Litt, former speechwriter for then-U.S. president Barack Obama.

"Book deals, speaking circuit, position in a future Trump admin, whatever they wanted. But all 12 put ."

Celebrities, brands and snarkers take shots

"Yes, ," reads an X post from Britannica, the centuries-old encyclopedia publisher.

As perhaps America's most unprecedented former president seizes the world's attention once again, a cascade of comedians, amateur and career, have stepped up to share their takes on the news.

"We should start referring to him as 34 instead of 45," reads a post from television actor and , alluding to the 45th U.S. president's tally of convictions.

"It's almost touching to remember that there was a time when Donald Trump thought that the revelation of an extramarital affair might doom him politically," wrote Eric Levitz. "Starting to think t may not be on the level."

The X account for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, meanwhile, posted video featuring rapid-fire clips of Trump speaking the words of "I Fought the Law," a 1960s song most popularly covered by The Clash. 

 

As is often the case, some sought to hijack the Trump world's news and vernacular for something more mundane:

 

Other reactions can be described as abstract:

 

With files from The Associated Press