A Manhattan judge on Friday sentenced Donald Trump to an unconditional discharge for concealing hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Despite his conviction in May 2024 on 34 counts of falsifying business records, the judge opted for the lightest possible criminal sanction, sparing the former president from prison or fines. The decision comes as Trump prepares to assume office as the first felon to win the White House, marking a historic moment in U.S. judicial and political history.
Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the trial, described the case as unprecedented. “Never before has this court been presented with such a unique and remarkable set of circumstances,” Merchan stated. He explained that an unconditional discharge was the only lawful sentence that upheld the jury’s guilty verdict without interfering with Trump’s presidential duties. Trump, attending the sentencing virtually, labeled the trial a “terrible experience” and criticized it as a “setback for New York and its court system.”
During the proceedings, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass described Trump’s actions as a “premeditated and continuous deception.” Witnesses testified that Trump orchestrated the payments to Daniels to prevent her from revealing their alleged affair ahead of the 2016 presidential election. The scheme involved fraudulent business records to conceal the payments, a move that played a key role in his eventual conviction.
The sentence solidifies Trump’s status as the first former president convicted of a felony, a fact that continues to divide public opinion. Despite the possibility of up to four years in prison, the 78-year-old walked free under the rare measure of unconditional discharge, underscoring the extraordinary legal and political challenges surrounding the case.