On Friday morning, a New York state judge officially sentenced former President Donald Trump, six months after he was convicted on 34 criminal charges relating to hush money payments he made through his business to conceal an extramarital affair ahead of the 2016 election.
In issuing his decision — which carries with it no judiciary punishment, fine or probationary rules — Justice Juan Merchan explained to Trump that presidential immunity standards, which the president-elect tried to use to block the sentencing, are indeed “extraordinary” powers, but they do not include the ability to overturn a jury verdict.
The hearing took place almost two weeks before Trump is set to return to office, and one day after the U.S. Supreme Court denied his request to have the sentencing dismissed entirely. The president-elect had attempted to assert immunity privileges that generally only apply to sitting presidents — despite the fact that the actions he was being charged for took place before he was first elected president, and his criminal trial occurred years after he left the White House.
The court’s decision was a 5-4 ruling against Trump, with all three liberal bloc members (Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson) being joined by two conservatives (Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Chief Justice John Roberts). The four remaining conservative bloc members (Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito) would have allowed Trump’s motion to proceed, blocking the hearing from happening, although they did not offer a reason why.
The unsigned statement from the court said that Trump’s concerns about evidence can be addressed “in the ordinary course on appeal,” if he chooses to go that route. The message also noted that Trump’s claim of having “burdens” placed on him (as a president-elect merely preparing to be in the White House) did not justify blocking the sentencing hearing from happening, as the judge had already indicated that his “punishment” would be minimal.
“The burden that sentencing will impose on the President-Elect’s responsibilities is relatively insubstantial in light of the trial court’s stated intent to impose a sentence of ‘unconditional discharge’ after a brief virtual hearing,” the court said.
In a Truth Social post shortly after the ruling, Trump complained about the Supreme Court’s action, falsely stating “every legal scholar…[believes] that this is a case that should never have been brought.” In fact, plenty of legal minds, including some filing an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in this matter, said that Trump’s legal arguments were dubious.
“For the sake and sanctity of the Presidency, I will be appealing this case, and am confident that JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL,” Trump promised.
A half day later, Trump, appearing remotely in a New York City courtroom, was rendered his sentencing verdict from state Justice Juan Merchan, who oversaw the hush money case.
The case did not deal directly with those payments, but rather the concealment of them, as Trump had made his then-lawyer Michael Cohen pay adult film actress Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about their extramarital affair so as not to hurt his chances in the 2016 election. Trump then paid Cohen back through his Trump Organization business, an action that defied Federal Election Commission (FEC) rules on reporting every election-related expense and violated New York state law on falsifying business records.
A jury found Trump guilty of 34 felony counts relating to his actions in late May. But Trump’s legal team filed a number of briefs within state courts seeking to delay the final sentencing verdict, after which they made the “hail mary” attempt to appeal to the Supreme Court last month, eventually leading to Friday’s final hearing.
During the hearing on Friday, prosecutors cited “overwhelming” evidence proving Trump’s guilt, resulting in a unanimous verdict from the jury which “must be respected.”
“Far from expressing any kind of remorse,” prosecutor Josh Steinglass said in the courtroom, Trump has shown a “disdain” for the institutions of government, including the judicial process, adding that the “defendant has caused enduring damage to public perception of the criminal justice system.”
Trump was afforded the opportunity to speak during the hearing as well. His meandering five-minute tirade repeatedly veered into territory unrelated to the case at hand — including the wildfires in California, the rate of inflation across the U.S., and false assertions that he had won the 2024 presidential election by a “landslide.”
Maintaining that he was “totally innocent” and “did nothing wrong,” Trump also parroted false claims that the federal Department of Justice (DOJ) had influenced prosecutors in the case, describing the investigation in terms he has used to disparage others in the past, including once more calling it a “witch hunt.”
After he finished, Merchan issued his final statement in the case, bringing it to an official close.
Merchan did not sentence Trump to any time in jail, nor to pay any fines, but rather rendered an “unconditional discharge” — a sentence that recognizes a person’s guilt in a case but doesn’t issue any real punishment.
Trump now enters office with the unmatched distinction of being the only president in U.S. history — either as a former president or as an incoming one — to be convicted and sentenced for a felony level crime.
In rendering his decision, Merchan wished Trump the best of luck in his future presidency.
“I wish you godspeed as you assume your second term in office,” he said.
The conviction, though historically significant, will have little impact on Trump’s presidency, which promises to be one of great tumult, if his first term and campaign pledges over the past year are any indicators of how he plans to govern.
Despite multitudes of evidence showing wrongdoing in the criminal cases brought toward Trump, he has often complained about supposed “lawfare” used against him. But Trump himself has promised to weaponize the law during his next term, repeatedly stating that he will use the DOJ to go after his political adversaries.
We’re not backing down in the face of Trump’s threats.
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Our task is formidable, and it requires us to ground ourselves in our principles, remind ourselves of our utility, dig in and commit.
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