Donald Trump will be sentenced on Friday for covering up hush money payments to a porn star, marking a historic moment as the President-elect becomes the first felon to ascend to the White House. Despite efforts to delay the proceedings, the sentencing will proceed as planned.
The judge has signaled that Trump will avoid prison time, even though his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records in May 2024 could carry a prison sentence. Instead, it is widely expected that he will receive an unconditional discharge, a rare measure that imposes no sanctions while upholding the guilty verdict.
Trump is expected to attend the sentencing virtually, which will take place in the same Manhattan courtroom where his trial unfolded with dramatic testimonies and legal battles. During the trial, witnesses described how Trump concealed payments to porn star Stormy Daniels to prevent her from disclosing their alleged affair before the 2016 presidential election. Daniels provided detailed testimony about their encounter, which Trump has consistently denied.
Efforts by Trump’s legal team to postpone sentencing reached the Supreme Court after lower courts rejected his appeals. However, the Supreme Court ruled that the sentencing could proceed, dismissing arguments that he still had unresolved avenues of appeal in New York.
Prosecutors argued against delaying the sentencing, asserting that the Supreme Court lacked jurisdiction over the state court's handling of the trial. Trump’s legal team also claimed that the immunity granted to sitting presidents should extend to a president-elect, but these arguments were rejected by the courts.
Legal experts expect Trump’s sentencing to result in an unconditional discharge, which, while avoiding incarceration, solidifies his status as the first former president convicted of a felony. Trump, who faced a potential prison sentence of up to four years, has maintained his defiance throughout the legal process.
The sentencing comes just days before Trump is set to be sworn in for a second presidential term, four years after his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn his 2020 election defeat. The case has added a dramatic and unprecedented chapter to Trump’s already tumultuous political career.
READ ALSO: Judge to Sentence Trump in Hush Money Case Before Inauguration
