Donald Trump has said that a prison sentence could leave the American public at “breaking point” after his historic conviction by a New York jury last week.
A New York jury on Thursday found Mr Trump guilty of falsifying business records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who said the two had sex.
In an interview with Fox News, Mr Trump said he was “not sure if the public would stand” for him receiving a prison sentence.
“I think it'd be tough for the public to take. You know, at a certain point, there's a breaking point.”
Mr Trump did not elaborate on what he thought might happen were he to receive a prison sentence.
He will be sentenced on July 11.
Asked what Trump supporters should do if he were jailed, Republican National Committee Co-Chair Lara Trump told CNN: "Well, they're gonna do what they've done from the beginning, which is remain calm and protest at the ballot box on November 5th. There's nothing to do other than make your voices heard loud and clear and speak out against this.”
Mr Trump is the first former US president to be convicted of a criminal offence.
He has dismissed the trial, without evidence, as “rigged” and maintains his innocence.
Democrat lawmakers have raised concerns that Mr Trump’s supporters could react violently if the former President is given a prison sentence.
US House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Trump ally, said any response must be lawful.
"We are the rule of law party - chaos is not a conservative value. We have to fight back and we will with everything in our arsenal. But we do that within the confines of the rule of law," Mr Johnson told Fox News.
Mr Trump still faces three other criminal cases, including two over alleged efforts to overturn his 2020 loss, although they are not likely to come to trial or conclude before the election. He denies wrongdoing in all the cases.
