Populist Deputy Prime Minister of Italy Matteo Salvini reacted to the guilty verdict of former President Donald Trump on Thursday, saying the 45th president is “a victim of judicial harassment” brought on by “the weaponization of the justice system by the left.”
“Solidarity and full support for @realDonaldTrump, victim of judicial harassment and a process of political nature,” Salvini began in a post on X.
“In Italy, we are sadly familiar with the weaponization of the justice system by the left, given that for years attempts have been made to eliminate political opponents through legal means,” Salvini continued.
“I hope Trump wins; it would be a guarantee of greater balance and hope for world peace,” the deputy prime minister concluded in his post.
On Instagram, Salvini shared a photo of the 45th president with his fist raised, alongside the words “Forza Trump,” meaning, “Power to Trump” or “Go Trump.”
Salvini is not the only European leader to have reacted to Thursday’s guilty verdict of Trump.
Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán also chimed in, writing on X, “I’ve known President @realDonaldTrump to be a man of honour. As President, he always put America first, he commanded respect around the world and used this respect to build peace.”
“Let the people make their verdict this November! Keep on fighting, Mr. President!” Prime Minister Orbán added.
“This verdict is a disgrace. Trump will now win big,” Brexit leader Nigel Farage wrote in a Thursday X post.
“I feel more certain this morning that Trump will be the 47th President, than I did yesterday,” Farage added on Friday.
As Breitbart News reported, Trump was found guilty by a Manhattan jury of 34 counts of falsifying business records in his hush-money trial on Thursday.
While this would normally be a misdemeanor — for which the statute of limitations had already expired — District Attorney Alvin Bragg prosecuted the case as a felony by declaring the alleged falsification of business records was done to cover up a federal crime. Trump has not been convicted of such a crime, and the prosecutors did not specify what crime was committed, nor did it have to prove the components thereof.
Now, Trump is to be sentenced in New York on July 11, just four days before the Republican National Convention (RNC) will begin on July 15 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where delegates are set to vote for Trump as the Party’s presidential nominee.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.