Wednesday, 15 January, 2025
Donald Trump is set to be sentenced Friday for concealing hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, marking a historic moment as the U.S. President-elect prepares to take office as a convicted felon. Despite his last-ditch attempts to delay the proceedings, Trump will become the first individual elected to the presidency with a felony conviction.
The judge in the case, Juan Merchan, has indicated that Trump will not face prison time, even though the 34 counts of falsifying business records for which he was convicted in May 2024 carry potential incarceration. Instead, he is expected to receive the lightest criminal penalty available: an unconditional discharge. This measure, rarely applied, imposes no sanctions but upholds the jury’s guilty verdict.
Trump is expected to attend the sentencing virtually from a Manhattan courtroom that hosted the trial’s heated exchanges, dramatic testimony, and contentious personal attacks.
At 78, Trump had faced the possibility of up to four years in prison. His historic felony conviction comes just days after he was certified as the winner of the 2024 presidential election, four years after the January 6 Capitol riot that sought to overturn his 2020 defeat.
Daniels’ testimony during the trial included details of their alleged relationship, Trump’s flirtations, and his interest in the adult film industry. The judge intervened to limit explicit testimony.
Prosecutors portrayed the payments as a deliberate effort to mislead voters, while Trump’s defence argued they were personal transactions unrelated to his political campaign.
Prosecutors opposed the appeal, arguing that Trump still had state-level avenues for appeal and that the high court lacked jurisdiction over the case. “This Court lacks jurisdiction over a state court's management of an ongoing criminal trial when the defendant has not exhausted his state-law remedies,” prosecutors stated.
Trump’s lawyers had also argued for presidential immunity, claiming it should extend to a president-elect. However, New York state Associate Justice Ellen Gesmer dismissed these claims earlier in the week, rejecting arguments that a president-elect is immune from prosecution.
“This is a direct affront to the justice system,” said Bennett Gershman, a former prosecutor and law professor at Pace University. “Trump’s legal strategy is a middle finger to the courts, the jury, and the rule of law.”
At 78, Trump had faced the possibility of up to four years in prison. His historic felony conviction comes just days after he was certified as the winner of the 2024 presidential election, four years after the January 6 Capitol riot that sought to overturn his 2020 defeat.
As Trump prepares to be sworn in for a second term, his conviction adds an unprecedented layer of controversy to an already tumultuous political legacy.
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Donald Trump is set to be sentenced Friday for concealing hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, marking a historic moment as the U.S. President-elect prepares to take office as a convicted felon. Despite his last-ditch attempts to delay the proceedings, Trump will become the first individual elected to the presidency with a felony conviction.
The judge in the case, Juan Merchan, has indicated that Trump will not face prison time, even though the 34 counts of falsifying business records for which he was convicted in May 2024 carry potential incarceration. Instead, he is expected to receive the lightest criminal penalty available: an unconditional discharge. This measure, rarely applied, imposes no sanctions but upholds the jury’s guilty verdict.
Trump is expected to attend the sentencing virtually from a Manhattan courtroom that hosted the trial’s heated exchanges, dramatic testimony, and contentious personal attacks.
At 78, Trump had faced the possibility of up to four years in prison. His historic felony conviction comes just days after he was certified as the winner of the 2024 presidential election, four years after the January 6 Capitol riot that sought to overturn his 2020 defeat.
Daniels’ testimony during the trial included details of their alleged relationship, Trump’s flirtations, and his interest in the adult film industry. The judge intervened to limit explicit testimony.
Prosecutors portrayed the payments as a deliberate effort to mislead voters, while Trump’s defence argued they were personal transactions unrelated to his political campaign.
Prosecutors opposed the appeal, arguing that Trump still had state-level avenues for appeal and that the high court lacked jurisdiction over the case. “This Court lacks jurisdiction over a state court's management of an ongoing criminal trial when the defendant has not exhausted his state-law remedies,” prosecutors stated.
Trump’s lawyers had also argued for presidential immunity, claiming it should extend to a president-elect. However, New York state Associate Justice Ellen Gesmer dismissed these claims earlier in the week, rejecting arguments that a president-elect is immune from prosecution.
“This is a direct affront to the justice system,” said Bennett Gershman, a former prosecutor and law professor at Pace University. “Trump’s legal strategy is a middle finger to the courts, the jury, and the rule of law.”
At 78, Trump had faced the possibility of up to four years in prison. His historic felony conviction comes just days after he was certified as the winner of the 2024 presidential election, four years after the January 6 Capitol riot that sought to overturn his 2020 defeat.
As Trump prepares to be sworn in for a second term, his conviction adds an unprecedented layer of controversy to an already tumultuous political legacy.
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