Donald Trump officially received his sentence for his conviction in his hush money case in New York on Friday (January 10), ten days before the inauguration of his second term as President of the United States. He got unconditional discharge for his 34 charges, which means he avoided prison time, fines, and any probation terms. Judge Juan Merchan labeled this a "truly extraordinary case" to CNN, and also reportedly stated the following to No. 47: "I wish you godspeed as you assume your second term in office." He and his lawyer Todd Blanche attended the sentencing hearing virtually from Florida.
"Far from expressing any kind of remorse for his criminal conduct, [Donald Trump] encouraged others to reject the jury verdict," prosecutor Joshua Steinglass reportedly told the court according to AllHipHop. He condemned this conduct as a "direct attack on the rule of law," whereas Trump stated to the court that "this has been a very terrible experience" and "a political witch hunt, [which] was done to damage my reputation." This historic case marks the first time that a convicted criminal will swear into the highest executive office of the United States, an inauguration that will occur on January 20.
Donald Trump Sentenced For Hush Money Conviction
For those unaware, a New York court convicted Donald Trump In May of 2024 on 34 counts of falsifying business records, which connected to hush money payments sent to adult film star Stormy Daniels. She claims that they had an intimate encounter in 2006, a claim he denies. The Supreme Court had previously rejected Trump's request to halt criminal proceedings, which led to this sentencing hearing's uninterrupted and non-delayed procedure. The 5-4 vote comprised of four conservative judges against, with conservatives Amy Coney Barrett and Chief Justice John Roberts siding with three liberal judges.
Furthermore, the court clarified that Donald Trump's grievances with this sentence "can be addressed in the ordinary course on appeal." While he characterized the ruling as "fair," he promised to rally against this case and sentence. "We’re going to appeal anyway, just psychologically,” Trump remarked at a Thursday (January 9) press conference, according to NBC News. “Because, frankly, it’s a disgrace."
