President-elect Donald Trump was formally sentenced Friday in his , but the judge The outcome cements Trump鈥檚 conviction while freeing him to return to the White House unencumbered by the threat of a jail term or a fine.
Here's the latest:
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson slams the judge and the case
The Republican is echoing Trump and his lawyers by saying it never should have been brought.
鈥淭his 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,鈥� Johnson said in a statement released by his office.
He even used a word Trump has often employed to attack his legal opponents, with the speaker calling the prosecution team 鈥渄eranged.鈥�
Johnson said he supports Trump鈥檚 decision to appeal.
Trump can still vote after sentencing, but can鈥檛 own a gun and will have to turn over a DNA sample
President-elect Donald Trump doesn鈥檛 have to go to jail, pay a fine or perform community service as a result of his New York hush money conviction. A judge ended the case Friday with a sentence of an unconditional discharge, closing the case with no punishment.
But unless the conviction for falsifying business records is someday overturned, Trump will have felonies on his criminal record, which will affect some of his rights.
Trump is registered to vote in Florida and he鈥檒l be able to vote there. Florida does bars people convicted of felonies from voting, but restores their right to vote after they鈥檝e completed their sentence.
Under federal law, people convicted of felonies aren鈥檛 allowed to possess firearms.
By law, every person convicted of a felony in New York must provide a DNA sample for the state鈥檚 crime databank. Samples are collected after sentencing, typically when a defendant reports to probation, jail or prison. Samples can also be taken by a court or police official.
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Trump is now expected to return to the business of planning for his new administration
And that includes hosting conservative House Republicans as they gathered to discuss GOP priorities.
The punishment-free judgment marks a quiet end to an extraordinary case
It was a case that for the first time put a former president and major presidential candidate in a courtroom as a criminal defendant. The case was the only one of four criminal indictments that has gone to trial and possibly the only one that ever will.
Trump calls the sentencing a 鈥榙espicable event鈥� on Truth Social
鈥淭oday鈥檚 event was a despicable charade, and now that it is over, we will appeal this Hoax, which has no merit, and restore the trust of Americans in our once great System of Justice,鈥� he wrote in a lengthy post on his social media platform after the sentencing.
Outside the courthouse after the sentencing
Following the historic sentencing, the mood outside the courthouse is festive, with a few dozen Trump supporters waving American flags and signs emblazoned with the president-elect鈥檚 face.
Some described the scene as a reunion of sorts, a chance to catch up with others who鈥檇 attended demonstrations during the trial while celebrating both the election victory and the outcome of the case.
鈥淣o penalty at all is great news,鈥� said Jerry Gasowski, a retired power plant worker who drove into the city from Long Island. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great news for our country.鈥�
Trump鈥檚 demeanor as the sentence was handed down
As Judge Merchan delivered the sentence, Trump sat upright, lips pursed, frowning slightly. He tilted his head to the side as the judge wished him 鈥済odspeed in your second term in office.鈥�
Judge sentences Trump in hush money case but declines to impose any punishment
President-elect Donald Trump was formally sentenced Friday in his , but the judge declined to impose any punishment. The outcome cements Trump鈥檚 conviction while freeing him to return to the White House unencumbered by the threat of a jail term or a fine.
Trump鈥檚 sentence of an unconditional discharge caps a norm-smashing case that , put on and convicted on every count. Yet, the legal detour 鈥� and sordid details aired in court of a plot to bury affair allegations 鈥� didn鈥檛 hurt him with voters, who elected him to a second term.
Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan could have sentenced the 78-year-old Republican to up to four years in prison. Instead, he chose a sentence that sidestepped thorny constitutional issues by effectively ending the case but assured that Trump will become the first person convicted of a felony to assume the presidency.
Judge Merchan begins speaking
Merchan says a judge must consider the facts of the case as well as aggravating and mitigating circumstances.
鈥淣ever before has this court been presented with such a unique and remarkable set of circumstances,鈥� he said.
Trump says: 鈥業鈥檓 totally innocent. I did nothing wrong鈥�
He argued that voters saw what happened in this courtroom and, like him, thought it was a disgrace and supported him overwhelmingly in the election.
Addressing the court, Trump says there was no crime
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a political witch hunt,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was done to damage my reputation so that I would lose the election, and obviously, that didn鈥檛 work.鈥�
Trump speaks in court
鈥淭his has been a very terrible experience. I think it has been a tremendous set back for New York and the New York court system,鈥� he said.
Trump lawyer Todd Blanche begins speaking with Trump by his side
鈥淚 very, very much disagree with much of what the government just said about this case, about the legitimacy of what happened in this courtroom during this trial, and about President Trump鈥檚 conduct fighting this case,鈥� Blanche said.
Steinglass notes Trump鈥檚 contempt findings in this case and others
鈥淎s this court has noted, the defendant鈥檚 conduct constitutes a 鈥榙irect attack on the rule of law itself,鈥欌�� Steinglass said.
He also noted Trump鈥檚 threats to retaliate against people who have wronged him in his legal matters, which Steinglass said is intended to have a chilling effect.
Steinglass said the author of the pre-sentence report, a probation officer who interviewed Trump, notes Trump sees himself as above the law.
Despite all that, Steinglass said an unconditional discharge is the 鈥渕ost practical sentence prior to his inauguration.鈥�
Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass begins speaking on behalf of the prosecution
He notes the conviction and reviews the sentencing options include up to four years in prison, but other remedies as well.
Steinglass says the prosecution recommends unconditional discharge based on circumstances including Trump鈥檚 impending return to the White House.
Steinglass says prosecutors are OK with the potential no-penalty sentence. He cites 鈥渁ll the circumstances of this case, its unique posture and the defendant鈥檚 status as president-elect.鈥�
鈥淭he verdict in this case was unanimous and decisive and it must be respected,鈥� he said.
As prosecutors began their remarks, Trump shook his head, eyes darting around the screen. The camera view is framed tightly on him and Blanche, offering courtroom spectators a much closer view of Trump鈥檚 expression than during the trial.
Trump attorney Emil Bove says Trump is appearing via Teams
鈥淗e鈥檚 co-located with my partner, Todd Blanche,鈥� he said.
Trump is in Florida, Blanche confirmed.
Trump appears in court via a video feed
He鈥檚 wearing a red tie with white or gold thin diagonal stripes. Trump appears stoic and reserved as he waits.
An attorney sits to Trump鈥檚 right, in front of a backdrop of American flags. American flag pins on both men鈥檚 suit jackets.
Outside the courthouse ahead of the sentencing
A handful of protesters had gathered in front of the Manhattan federal courthouse Friday morning.
Some carried signs reading 鈥淒ESERVES THE MAXIMUM SENTENCE鈥� and 鈥�34 FELONY CONVICTIONS.鈥�
Meanwhile, at a park across the street, supporters unfurled a massive flag reading 鈥淭RUMP WON.鈥�
Why did Judge Merchan decide to go ahead with Trump鈥檚 sentencing?
In an 18-page legal opinion, Merchan laid out his reasoning for ruling that the president-elect should be sentenced later this month for the crime of falsifying business records.
His most important finding was that Trump鈥檚 conviction should not be thrown out simply because he was elected president.
But the judge also signaled that he intended to impose a sentence of 鈥渦nconditional discharge,鈥� which means Trump would not face any punishment beyond having the conviction on his legal record.
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The scene inside the courtroom before sentencing
Four big TV screens are mounted on the walls: one on either side of the bench where the judge will sit and one each hanging from the left and right side, parallel with the tables where the defense and prosecution will sit.
Another large monitor sits behind next to the defense table, visible to the judge鈥檚 bench. A crew from A小蓝视频 News, which will be distributing an audio recording of the proceeding after it ends, was testing the microphone system. At one point, instead of the usual counting up or down to check levels, one member of the crew started reciting the first few words of the Declaration of Independence 鈥� 鈥淲hen in the Course of human events鈥� 鈥� drawing chuckles from the crowd of reporters and spectators in the gallery.
Trump is expected to appear by video, and he has before
Although Trump was in court for every day of the trial, the judge said the president-elect could attend the sentencing via video if he chose. He鈥檚 expected to do that, and it鈥檚 not a first in the case.
He in May 2023.
Inside the courtroom the moment Trump was convicted
On May 30, 2024, Trump became the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes.
Trump sat stone-faced while the verdict was read as cheering from the street below could be heard in the hallway on the courthouse鈥檚 15th floor where the decision was revealed after more than nine hours of deliberations.
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Who testified, and what did they say?
Trump鈥檚 trial stretched over seven weeks, with 22 witnesses testifying, including porn actor Stormy Daniels, Trump鈥檚 fixer turned foe Michael Cohen, former supermarket tabloid publisher David Pecker and White House insiders.
Prosecutors called 20 witnesses. The defense called just two. Trump decided not to testify on his own behalf. Here鈥檚 a look back at what .
Remind me again, what was this case about?
Trump was of 34 counts of falsifying business records, making him the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes.
The jury found that he falsified records kept by his company to hide the purpose of reimbursements to his then-lawyer Michael Cohen, who had made a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels during Trump鈥檚 2016 campaign to silence her claim of an extramarital sexual encounter. Trump denies they had sex.
What happened to Trump鈥檚 other cases?
The hush money case was the only one of Trump鈥檚 four criminal indictments to go to trial.
Since his Nov. 5 election, special counsel Jack Smith . One pertained to Trump鈥檚 efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss; the other alleged he hoarded classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
A separate, state-level election interference case in Georgia is in limbo after an appeals court removed prosecutor Fani Willis from the case.
Is the sentencing streaming anywhere?
No. New York state trial-level courts rarely, if ever, livestream their proceedings. Appeals courts sometimes do.
A look at the judge who is sentencing Trump
Judge Juan M. Merchan has presided over Manhattan felony cases since 2009, after three years in family court. Before that, he was a Manhattan prosecutor and a lawyer for New York state.
Trump has pointed to factors including Merchan鈥檚 total of $35 in 2020 donations to Democrats 鈥� including President Joe Biden 鈥� to argue that the judge is biased and should step away from the case.
A state court ethics panel opined in 2023 that Merchan could continue handling the case, and he avowed that he could be fair and impartial. Read , who also oversees Manhattan鈥檚 Mental Health Court.
The Associated Press
