Musk slams Trump’s conviction, warns of chilling precedent

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Friday slammed the American legal system, saying if former President Donald Trump can be criminally convicted over “a trivial matter”, then anyone is at risk of a similar fate.

The billionaire, who earlier rejected reports about his role in a potential Trump presidency, said in fresh posts on X that the American people as a whole should decide who will be the president.

“Indeed, great damage was done today to the public’s faith in the American legal system,” the X owner posted.

A staunch supporter of Trump, he further said that “if aformer presidentcan be criminally convicted over such a trivial matter – motivated by politics, rather than justice – then anyone is at risk of a similar fate”.

Trump, who is in the middle of a campaign to reclaim the White House, has become the first former President to be convicted of crimes.

A jury of 12 citizens convicted Trump on 34 criminal charges relating to hush money paid before the 2016 election to buy the silence of a porn star who alleged that they had had a sexual tryst.

US laws, however, do not prevent him from running for President or getting elected.

Trump reacted, saying that the real verdict will be in November when the presidential elections are held.

(With inputs from IANS)