Trump exempted from punishment in New York sentencing

In late May 2024, a New York jury found Mr. Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records to pay to suppress information related to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. This is a felony that could result in a prison sentence of up to 4 years.

A New York court held a sentencing hearing for Mr. Trump on January 10. The president-elect attended via video conference. He sat with his lawyers at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

Judge Juan Merchan issued an "unconditional discharge," meaning Trump will not have to serve any jail time, be placed on probation, or pay any fines, although he will still have a criminal record.

"The court has determined that the only lawful way to reach a verdict of guilty without impinging on the highest office of the land is to grant an unconditional discharge," said Judge Merchan, stressing that he had never encountered a case as unique as this one. He asserted that Mr. Trump's impending presidency could not erase the jury's "guilty" verdict.

Mr Trump did not react after hearing the verdict, which ended after about 45 minutes. He has pleaded not guilty and has said he will appeal. In theory, Mr Trump can appeal after being convicted, a process that could take several years.

The sentencing comes 10 days before Mr Trump is inaugurated. He is the first convicted felon to become US president.

About 40 minutes after the event ended, Mr. Trump posted on the social network Truth Social, asserting that the Democratic Party had failed in the "witch hunt" despite spending "tens of millions of dollars and 6 years of effort."

"Today's events were a despicable farce. Now that it is over, we will appeal this baseless hoax and restore the American people's faith in our once great justice system," Trump wrote, calling for the case to be dismissed entirely.

Judge Merchan's ruling was not a surprise, as he had indicated plans to make such a decision before January 10.

Previously, Mr. Trump's team tried to block this sentencing, taking the issue to the New York appeals court and the US Supreme Court, on the grounds that the New York court's sentencing when Mr. Trump was about to take office as president was "unconstitutional and destructive of important national interests." However, the requests were all rejected.

Although Mr. Trump did not come to court in person, many people gathered outside the courthouse and waved flags to show their support for the President-elect. Some protesters were also present, holding signs reading "Mr. Trump is guilty."

Trump supporters cheered the verdict. “No sentence is great news for America,” said Jerry Gasowski, a retired power plant worker from Long Island.