New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the New York Police Department will protect peaceful protest in the wake of Trump's conviction -- but not "lawlessness."

"Today, a jury of 12 New Yorkers registered their verdict," Adams' statement read. "Our criminal justice process must be respected. As we await the next steps, New Yorkers should rest assured that the NYPD stands ready to respond to any and all circumstances, including large-scale protests. While peaceful protests and assembly will always be protected, we will not be a city of any form of lawlessness."

At a post-verdict news conference, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who brought the case against Trump, thanked the jurors.

"We should all be thankful for the careful attention that this jury paid to the evidence and the law, and their time and commitment over these past several weeks," Bragg said.

"Twelve everyday New Yorkers, and of course our alternates, heard testimony from 22 witnesses, including former and current employees of the defendant, media executives, book publishers, custodians of records and others. They reviewed call logs, text messages and emails. They heard recordings. They saw checks and invoices, bank statements and calendar appointments," Bragg said.

"Their deliberations led them to a unanimous conclusion beyond a reasonable doubt," Bragg said.

"While this defendant may be unlike any other in American history, we arrived at this trial -- and ultimately today at this verdict -- in the same manner as every other case that comes through the courtroom doors: by following the facts and the law, and doing so without fear or favor," Bragg said.

When former President Donald Trump returned to Trump Tower after court, he greeted those standing outside the Midtown building, waving and pumping his fist.

In a written statement, Trump called Judge Juan Merchan "corrupt" and twice called him "conflicted."

"This was a rigged decision right from Day 1," Trump said.

"We didn't do a thing wrong. I'm a very innocent man," he said.

Trump will attend a fundraiser in New York Thursday night for his 2024 campaign. The former president will stay at Trump Tower Thursday night, then is scheduled to hold a news conference there at 11 a.m. ET Friday.

Adult film actress Stormy Daniels, one of the star witnesses for the prosecution, is "relieved" the case is over, her attorney Clark Brewster said in a statement.

"No man is above the law, and the selfless hardworking service of each of these jurors should be respected and appreciated," Brewster said.

Daniels, whose hush money payment was at the center of the case, provided some of the most gripping testimony of the trial, describing in detail her alleged 2006 sexual encounter with Donald Trump, which he denies.

Defense attorney Todd Blanche says turned his attention to the three alleged catch-and-kill schemes cited by prosecutors, telling the jury that such arrangements were a normal industry practice and not illegal.

"There is nothing unusual ... about catching and killing," Blanche said.

He started with Dino Sajudin, the Trump Organization doorman who made unfounded claims about a love-child Trump supposedly fathered. Blanche called it "literally a made-up story."

Blanche used National Enquirer publisher David Pecker's initial desire to publish the story to undercut the idea of a conspiracy.

"The government wants you to believe that in Aaugust 2015 there was a super conspiratorial criminal meeting, where Mr. Pecker is going to criminally help Trump, and the first opportunity, he says, Oh no, I'm publishing this," Blanche said.

"What kind of a conspiracy is that?!" Blanche asked.