President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced to unconditional dismissal on Friday after being found guilty of falsifying business records stemming from a years-long investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
The president-elect attended the sentencing virtually after fighting this week to block the process from proceeding all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Trump sat next to his attorney, Todd Blanche.
Trump moves to maintain ‘illegal sentencing’ in New York case
President Trump said the case and his sentencing were “a tremendous setback to the American court system.”
“This is a huge embarrassment to the state of New York,” Trump said. “People saw the trial in person and decided to elect him president.”
Judge Juan Merchan set January 10, just 10 days before the inauguration of the 47th President of the United States.
From left, Judge Juan Mercan, former President Donald Trump, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. (Getty Images, AP Images)
Rather than sentence the president-elect to prison, Muchan sentenced him to unconditional dismissal. This means that no punishment such as imprisonment, fines, or probation will be imposed. The ruling also preserves Trump’s ability to appeal the conviction.
“After careful analysis, this court determined that only lawful sentences permitting a conviction are unconditionally discharged,” Merchant said Friday. “This time, I am imposing a sentence that encompasses all 34 counts.”
Merchan added: “Sir, I wish you the best of luck as you begin your second term.”
“I will not be imposing any punishment,” Murchan said last week when he scheduled sentencing, but would rather sentence him to “unconditional release.” This means that no punishment will be imposed.
President Trump filed an appeal with the New York State Appeals Court to block the sentencing from proceeding. The court denied his request.
President Trump also filed an emergency application with the U.S. Supreme Court, saying, “I order the immediate suspension of criminal proceedings pending in the Supreme Court of New York County, New York.”
The high court denied the request, stating that “the motion for a stay submitted to Judge Sotomayor was referred to the court specifically for the following reasons.”
President-elect Donald Trump holds a press conference at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, Tuesday, January 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Bucci)
President Trump said he respected the Supreme Court’s decision to deny the request to halt the sentencing and would appeal.
“First, allegations of evidentiary violations raised in President-elect Trump’s state court trials may be addressed during the normal appellate process,” reads the Supreme Court order filed Thursday night. “Given the original trial’s intention to impose an ‘unconditional dismissal’ sentence after a brief virtual hearing, imposing responsibility on the president-elect is relatively minor,” he said.
The order also states that “Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh will grant the motion.”
The U.S. Supreme Court poses for an official portrait in the East Chamber of the Supreme Court Building on October 7, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Trump needed five votes to approve his request. The order suggests Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett voted along with Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Katanji Brown Jackson.
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Trump is scheduled to be inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States on January 20.
Trump has maintained his innocence in the case and has repeatedly denounced it as a case of “legislation” pushed by Democrats in an effort to sabotage his election efforts ahead of November.
