Biden said, “Donald Trump was given every opportunity to defend himself,” reiterating that it was a “state case, not a federal case,” a fact that contests Trump’s baseless claims that the case was brought at Biden’s behest.

The president delivered the remarks from a White House podium at the start of a speech about the Israel-Hamas war, less than a day after a Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a scheme to cover up hush money payments and illegally influence the 2016 election.

Biden said the justice system “is literally the cornerstone of America” and “should be respected,” adding that it is “reckless . . . dangerous” and “irresponsible for anyone to say that it was rigged just because they don’t like the verdict.”

Biden spoke hours after Trump blasted the verdict, and vowed to appeal it, during a press conference from Trump Tower, where he said it was a “rigged trial” that was “all done by Biden and his people.”

Until now, the president has made few comments on Trump’s legal woes—an apparent effort to distance himself as Trump has claimed Biden and his allies are behind the civil and criminal cases against him.

Biden’s campaign blasted Trump in a series of statements after the verdict was read, calling him “unhinged” in response to his speech Friday and reminding the public Thursday Trump would undoubtedly be the GOP nominee despite the conviction, while Biden also posted a fundraising appeal to his X account Thursday, writing “there’s only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: At the ballot box.”