By Mia Norton, News Writer
President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced on Friday for his New York felony convictions. Judge Juan Merchan imposed a no-penalty sentence, or an unconditional discharge for the president-elect.
Unconditional discharge means Trump will not receive jail time, probation or fines for the 34 felony convictions he was convicted of last year for falsifying business records. According to New York state law, this sentence can be imposed when a judge is “of the opinion that no proper purpose would be served by imposing any condition upon the defendant’s release.” However, the conviction will remain on his record.
Trump appeared in court remotely from Palm Beach, Florida, where he is coordinating his return to the White House.
The sentencing solidified Trump as the first person convicted of a felony to assume the presidency, when he will be inaugurated in ten days.
Before the formal sentencing, Merchan gave Trump the opportunity to speak. Trump maintained the argument that the payments were business expenses, not hush-money payments, all of which were recorded by accountants.
Merchan said any further sentencing would interfere with protections provided by the presidency. “It is the legal protections afforded to the office of the President of the United States that are extraordinary, not the occupant of the office,” the judge said during the sentencing.
The office of the presidency, not Trump himself, gave Merchan a limited number of options on how to proceed with the sentencing. Merchan added that the non-penalty sentence does not detract from the seriousness of the crime committed or justify Trump’s actions. After the sentencing, prosecutors concurred with Merchan’s decision, while Assistant District Attorney Josh Steinglass said Trump thinks of himself as above the rule of law, as he shows no remorse for his criminal conduct.
“This defendant has caused enduring damage to the public perception of the criminal justice system and has placed officers and the court in harm’s way,” said Steinglass. While Trump walks away from the case free without the threat of punishment, the sentencing allows Trump and his attorneys to begin appeals.
Trump argued on Truth Social that the sentence carrying no incarceration, fines or probation proves “THERE IS NO CASE THERE NEVER WAS A CASE,” he wrote, vehemently. Trump said he will appeal the case as it was brought on by his political rivals to prevent his election in November.
Trump’s legal team argues that last summer’s Supreme Court ruling that grants widespread presidential immunity means the case should be thrown out. The appeals process will most likely take years, as the case will have to move through the court system starting with New York’s appellate court. Congressional allies of Trump, such as Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) have rallied around the president.
“This entire case against President Trump has been a politically motivated and contrived witch hunt aimed solely at preventing him from returning to the White House. It was never about the facts, and it never should have been brought in the first place. The judge grossly perverted the American legal system by manipulating existing law in a purely partisan effort to convert a bogus misdemeanor charge into a felony. Judge Merchan and the deranged prosecution have done untold damage to our justice system,” said Speaker Johnson via X on Friday.
The trial faced several setbacks since the May conviction. Judge Merchan postponed sentencing several times, to avoid any perception of political bias ahead of the election, and allow Trump to argue immunity after the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling. Trump also exhausted all legal avenues to stop the sentencing, including an attempt at intervention by the Supreme Court. On Thursday, the Court declined, among a narrow majority, to stop the sentencing.
