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Donald Trump was sentenced to an unconditional discharge on Friday by a judge, who ruled on his role in covering up hush money payments to a porn star. This decision comes after Trump’s last-minute efforts to sidestep the unprecedented reality of entering the White House as a convicted felon.
Trump, who was convicted in May 2024 on 34 charges of falsifying business records, avoided both prison and financial penalties. The judge’s decision to spare him jail time, despite the weight of the charges, has been met with both criticism and praise in political and legal circles.
In an unexpected move, New York judge Juan Merchan imposed the lightest possible penalty, granting Donald Trump an unconditional discharge—a rarely used sanction in criminal cases, which underscores the uniqueness of this high-profile matter.
“Never before has this court been presented with such a unique and remarkable set of circumstances,” said Merchan.
“The only lawful sentence that permits entry of a judgment of conviction without encroaching on the highest office of the land is an unconditional discharge.”
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Trump chose to appear remotely for his sentencing, leaving the modest Manhattan courtroom—now bustling with the judge, lawyers, and reporters—to serve as the physical stage for the case’s final chapter. This worn venue had seen it all: the courtroom clashes, theatrical legal strategies, and sharp-tongued assaults by the polarizing Republican.
“This has been a very terrible experience. I think it’s been a tremendous setback for New York and the New York court system,” Trump said before the discharge was passed.
“It was done to damage my reputation, so I would lose the election.”
The former president appeared on screens in the courtroom with two large US flags behind him, wearing a red tie with white stripes and looking on impatiently as the brief proceeding unfolded.
Ahead of the sentencing, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said Trump had been convicted of a “premeditated and continuous deception.”
“The verdict in this case was unanimous and decisive and it must be respected,” he said.
The trial saw Trump forced to look on as a string of witnesses testified that he had fraudulently covered up illicit payments to porn star Stormy Daniels in an effort to stop her disclosing their tryst ahead of the 2016 presidential election, which he ultimately won.
