Trump Sentenced to ‘Unconditional Discharge,’ Will Enter Office as Felon
After months of delay, legal sparring, and constitutional uncertainty, President-elect Donald Trump today was sentenced to an “unconditional discharge” over his felony conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels.
The “unconditional discharge” sentence — which is what the prosecution recommended — allows Trump to avoid any prison time, fines, probation, or other punishment, as in just over a week, he will be sworn in as president and receive immunity from legal repercussions.
Trump appeared in court virtually from Florida to receive his sentence, sitting next to personal attorney Todd Blanche — whom Trump has tapped to serve as deputy attorney general. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who prosecuted the case, appeared in person. Judge Juan Merchan, who has been presiding over the case, referred to Trump as Mr. Trump, and noted that “this has been a truly extraordinary case” that was “conducted according to the rules of procedure and guided by the law.”
Trump put it a little differently. “This has been a very terrible experience. I think it’s been a tremendous setback for New York and the New York court system,” he said ahead of the sentencing, adding that he is “totally innocent” and “did nothing wrong.”
Trump has repeatedly attacked both Merchan and Bragg as crooked puppets of President Joe Biden and the Democratic establishment. The president-elect was fundraising off the sentencing earlier today. “I’m being sentenced today — just so they can label me a FELON before I’m sworn in,” read an email to supporters. “All hell breaks loose today!” was the subject line.
Prosecuting attorney Joshua Steinglass called out Trump for his comments about the case and those involved. “This defendant has caused enduring damage to public perception of the criminal justice system and has placed officers of the court in harm’s way,” Steinglass said today, emphasizing that Trump continues to refuse accountability for his actions.
Trump has not taken accountability, and is unlikely to be held accountable with any form of real punishment — for his crimes related to the hush money payment or any of his other alleged indiscretions.
In the aftermath of his election victory in November, the federal criminal cases against Trump were scrapped, given his pending return to the White House, his authority over the Justice Department, and the protections from prosecution granted to sitting presidents. His criminal case in Georgia is also on ice, and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was recently disqualified from handling the prosecution.
Trump and his legal team have been trying to have his conviction in New York thrown out, citing a Supreme Court ruling this summer granting presidents immunity from prosecution for “official” acts committed while in office. They have been unable to do so, and earlier this month, Merchan ruled that the sentencing would proceed. Merchan noted, however, that incarceration was an unlikely outcome.
“It was the premediated and continuous deception by the leader of the free world that is the gravamen of this offense,” Merchan wrote in his ruling. “To vacate this verdict on the grounds that the charges are insufficiently serious given the position Defendant once held, and is about to assume again, would constitute a disproportionate result and cause immeasurable damage to the citizenry’s confidence in the Rule of Law.”
In a last-ditch effort to avoid accountability for his actions, Trump’s attorneys appealed to the New York Court of Appeals to block the sentencing, a request that was summarily rejected on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the president-elect filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States, requesting sentencing be halted.
“This court should enter an immediate stay of further proceedings in the New York trial court to prevent grave injustice and harm to the institution of the presidency and the operations of the federal government,” Trump’s attorneys wrote.
The Supreme Court did not oblige him, rejecting the request on Thursday in a 5-4 vote. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett, one of the three justices Trump picked to join the high court, sided with the three liberal justices. Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Samuel Alito sided with the president.
Alito spoke to Trump the day before Trump made his request, but claims they did not discuss his legal trouble. “We did not discuss the emergency application he filed today, and indeed, I was not even aware at the time of our conversation that such an application would be filed,” Alito told ABC News. “We also did not discuss any other matter that is pending or might in the future come before the Supreme Court or any past Supreme Court decisions involving the president-elect.”
Trump responded to the Supreme Court rejecting his plea on Truth Social by attacking Merchan and noting that he “will be appealing this case.” He didn’t seem too concerned while speaking to the press. “I read it and I thought it was a fair decision, actually,” he said. “So, I’ll do my little thing tomorrow. They can have fun with their political opponent.”
Following the sentencing today, Trump claimed on Truth Social that the “unconditional discharge” sentence “proves that, as all Legal Scholars and Experts have said, THERE IS NO CASE, THERE WAS NEVER A CASE, and this whole Scam fully deserves to be DISMISSED.” He added that the sentencing was a “despicable charade,” and again insisted that he will appeal.
Trump will become the first convicted felon to be sworn in as president when he is inaugurated later this month.
More from Rolling Stone
Best of Rolling Stone
Sign up for RollingStone's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.