Trump, in his first post-trial rally, demands that appeals courts reverse his felony conviction

By JONATHAN J. COOPER and MEG KINNARD
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — Donald Trump has returned to the campaign trail with a trip to Arizona, his first appearance in a battleground state since he was convicted in a hush money scandal. Trump spoke Thursday at a town hall in Phoenix organized by Turning Point, a conservative youth organization that has seen its influence rise alongside Trump’s takeover of the GOP. He repeated his critiques of the case against him as politically motivated and called for his conviction to be overturned on appeal. A New York jury last week found Trump guilty of a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor. He initially responded defiantly to the verdict but had not spoken directly to the swing state voters who will decide the November election.