COLUMBIA, S.C. — Local experts and residents are reacting to the guilty verdict of former president Donald Trump.
It was a historic afternoon in America, according to USC politics professor Chase Meyer. He, like many others in Columbia, got the news about former president Trump's conviction Thursday afternoon.
"This is very historic. We have never had a major party nominee who's running for president be convicted of any crime, let alone felonies like we just had today," Meyer said.
Josie Bedenbau says she was watching updates on the trial and wasn't surprised by the verdict.
"I wasn't shocked to hear that, I was happy because I think that it was deserved," she says.
But Angela Kearse-Smith says the decision to convict doesn’t make her happy.
"I do feel like this is kind of out there and it's just kind of obvious to most people and I think if you just really just take off your rose-colored glasses and see what's going on here," she says.
Johnny Owens says seeing a former president convicted of a crime was surprising and hard to comprehend.
"That is a little odd, no not a little odd; very unusual for this to even be a consideration based on that kind of information," Owens says.
Bedenbau says she doesn't think this will change voter's minds in November.
"I think that the people who ride for him are probably still voting for him, it doesn't really change the way I felt," she says.
Regardless of someone's stance on this verdict, Owens is hoping people will come together this year.
"Come together collectively and make a good decision for what's best for this country moving forward," he says.