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Trump sentenced in Hush Money trial: No jail time
Judge Juan Merchan has sentenced Donald Trump to unconditional discharge. The sentencing, which was expected, means Trump will remain a felon but faces no jail time, penalties or probation for his conviction in the hush-money case.
NEW YORK - President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced Friday in his hush money case, despite multiple attempts to get it called off. Judge Juan M. Merchan's sentence of "unconditional discharge" means no jail time or punishment for Trump other than having the conviction on his record.
The sentencing hearing came just 10 days before Trump is set to take office on Jan. 20, meaning he will be the first president to take office after being convicted of a crime.
Here’s what to know about the day’s proceedings:
What is unconditional discharge?
Trump's conviction carried a maximum penalty of up to four years in prison, though Judge Merchan had previously said he would not sentence the president-elect to any time behind bars.
Trump was also subject to being fined or put on probation, but Merchan opted to use the rare sentence of unconditional discharge, which means no punishment at all and no immediate consequences other than the conviction itself. The case is effectively ended.
Merchan said that like when facing any other defendant, he must consider any aggravating factors before imposing a sentence, but the legal protection that Trump will have as president "is a factor that overrides all others."
"Despite the extraordinary breadth of those legal protections, one power they do not provide is that they do not erase a jury verdict," Merchan said.
Trump's reaction
Attorney Todd Blanche (L) and US President-elect Donald Trump, seen on a television screen, appear virtually for sentencing after Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts in his hush money criminal trial last year, at the Manhattan criminal court o …
The president-elect briefly addressed the court by video from his Florida home, saying his criminal trial and conviction has "been a very terrible experience" and insisted he committed no crime.
"It’s been a political witch hunt. It was done to damage my reputation so that I would lose the election, and obviously, that didn’t work," Trump said, according to the Associated Press.
What was Trump sentenced for?
Trump was found guilty on May 30, 2024, of 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to suppress her claim that they had sex a decade earlier. The payment was made shortly before the 2016 election.
Trump says they did not have sex and denies any wrongdoing.
Trump’s legal fight
Trump’s legal team pushed to postpone the sentencing while they appealed a decision to uphold the verdict. If Trump's sentencing didn’t happen before Inauguration Day, presidential immunity could have put it on hold until he leaves office.
Trump initially asked the judge to overturn his conviction and dismiss the case because of the U.S. Supreme Court’s July presidential immunity ruling.
After Trump’s election win, his lawyers redoubled their efforts, arguing that dismissing the case "in the interests of justice" was warranted both under the immunity ruling and because of his status as president-elect.
And in December, Trump’s legal team pushed for a dismissal again after President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, on tax and gun convictions.
RELATED: Trump seeks dismissal of hush money case, citing Hunter Biden's pardon
And in a last ditch effort, Trump asked the Supreme Court earlier this week to call off the sentencing.
Because it is a state case, Trump would not be able to pardon himself once he returns to office. Presidential pardons apply only to federal crimes.
The Source: Information in this report came from public legal filings submitted by Donald Trump's lawyers, recent courtroom developments presided over by Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan, and references to past trial details and legal arguments. Associated Press reporters at the hearing also contributed.