A scowling Donald Trump, now a convicted felon, told reporters today that the "real verdict" for him "is going to be Nov. 5, by the people."

• That's one of the few things that Trump and President Biden agreed on in the hour after Trump's historic conviction on 34 felony counts: Voters will deliver the final judgment on Trump on Election Day.

Even as Trump supporters vowed retribution while Biden's tried to stifle their satisfaction with mixed results, both candidates downplayed a watershed moment in U.S. history: A former U.S. president convicted of a felony by a jury of his peers, while trying to win back the White House.

• "Today's verdict does not change the fact that the American people face a simple reality. There is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box," said Michael Tyler, communications director for the Biden campaign.

Trump's conviction added a host of unknowns and "never-befores" to a campaign that already was full of them.

• His sentencing is scheduled for July 11 — four days before the start of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
• He could receive a few years in prison. But even if he's sentenced to do time, that wouldn't happen until his appeals were exhausted.

The day felt momentous, but many Democrats, as well as the Biden campaign, are convinced the vast majority of voters already have formed their opinions on Trump.

• The country is deeply divided, with warring political tribes choosing their own news sources and information feeds — their own realities.
• Bolstering the view that most Americans are living in partisan, parallel universes: Trump retained a slight lead in the polls during the trial even as embarrassing details about his alleged sexual encounter with a porn star were laid bare in the Manhattan courtroom.

The question bedeviling both campaigns is whether attaching "convicted felon" to Trump's name will change the minds of many independent voters and even some Republicans, as several polls have suggested.

• Overnight polls might give an early indication, but pollsters like to survey voters over several days to get a more accurate sample.
• A Quinnipiac survey last week found that about 23% of independents said a guilty verdict would make them less likely to vote for Trump, compared to 11% who say it would make them more likely to back him.

Another thing to watch: Trump's GOP is famously loyal to him, including when it has come to casting him as a victim of America's judicial system.

• Now many Republican candidates for office will be put in a position of trashing that system to defend Trump.

Between the lines: Those in Biden's campaign aren't exactly ignoring the verdict.

• But they are trying to use it to focus voters on what they think are Trump's bigger vulnerabilities.
• "The threat Trump poses to our democracy has never been greater," Tyler said in the campaign statement.
• "He is running an increasingly unhinged campaign of revenge and retribution, pledging to be a dictator 'on day one' and calling for our Constitution to be 'terminated' so he can regain and keep power."

In a post on Truth Social late today, Trump was succinct:

• "VICTORY ON NOVEMBER 5TH. SAVE AMERICA!!!"

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Republican leaders quickly rallied around Trump after he was found guilty of falsifying business records to cover up a hush-money payment that amounted to a campaign contribution.

• GOP congressional leaders attacked the "weaponizing" of the justice system and decried the decision as "corrupt" and a "sham" — and expressed confidence that it would boost their chances of victory in November.

"President Trump will rightfully appeal this absurd verdict — and he WILL WIN," House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said in a statement, calling it a "shameful day in American history."

• "Democrats just pulled off the biggest sham in U.S. history," said House Republican Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.)
• "This verdict will not withstand an appeal, and was only brought as an attempt to interfere with the 2024 election," said Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.). "The voters will settle this on Nov. 5."
• "Now more than ever, we need to rally around [Trump], take back the White House and Senate, and get this country back on track. The real verdict will be Election Day," Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who is running for GOP leader, said on X.

While many of Trump's usual defenders were quick to dismiss the conviction, others were slower to respond.

• Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has long battled with Trump, has been silent so far.
• Ahead of the decision, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, now running for Senate, urged "all Americans to respect the verdict and the legal process" regardless of the result.

What to watch: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) suggested Trump's conviction sets a dangerous precedent of prosecuting ex-presidents.

• "Two can play this game," he said.