There was anticipation, there was exasperation at the wait, and then there it was: a guilty verdict against Donald Trump, delivered by a jury of 12 New Yorkers after two days of deliberation. In fact 34 guilty verdicts, all for falsifying business records. Never before has a former American president been convicted of a crime. Nor has a major-party candidate sought the presidency with a felony record. The overriding question now is whether it will upset Mr Trump’s chances in this year’s race: if the election were held today, polls suggest, he would beat Joe Biden.