A judge has sentenced US President-elect Donald Trump to “unconditional release”, ending the first criminal trial against a former US president.
The conviction in the hush money case means the future president was spared any punishment, including jail time or a fine, but he will still take office as the first US president with a felony conviction.
“Never before has this court been faced with such a unique and remarkable set of circumstances,” Judge Juan Mercan said shortly before announcing the sentence, calling it “a truly exceptional case.”
Appearing via video call from Florida and flanked by his lawyer and two prominent American flags, Trump declared his “complete innocence”.
It was the first time in this year-and-a-half-long legal saga that Trump uttered more than “not guilty” or gave a brief affirmative answer.
Given a chance to speak before his sentencing, Trump argued the case for several minutes.
“It was a very horrible experience,” he said.
He claims there has been a “weaponization” of the justice system and claims the case was brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for political reasons.
“I would like to explain that I have been treated very, very unfairly and thank you very much,” he said before falling silent.
As Bragg watched Trump address him directly for the first time, he kept a mostly stoic expression. But he laughed when Trump said Bragg never wanted to file the lawsuit.
After Trump had his say, Judge Murchan took a few moments to reflect on the “paradox” of the trial.
Judge Murchan noted that despite the media and political circus outside, “once the courtroom doors were closed, it was no more unique than all the other cases going on at the same time.”
But he added that after Trump was convicted, the case took on a new twist when the American people elected him in November for a second term as president.
After careful consideration, he had decided that “the only lawful sentence without prejudice to the highest office in the land” was an unconditional discharge—a sentence that would allow the American people a president unencumbered by pending legal proceedings.
Trump was found guilty by a New York jury on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in May 2024. His sentence has been repeatedly delayed due to Supreme Court rulings and the presidential election in November.
The charges stem from a conspiracy to cover up a secret payment to an adult film star in the final days of the 2016 election. Prosecutors argued that the payment was a form of election interference aimed at withholding vital information from voters, and therefore violated the law.
In October 2016 Trump's then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid a woman named Stormy Daniels $130,000 (£106,000) to keep quiet about alleged sexual contact years ago with the future president.
After he was elected, Trump reimbursed Cohen in installments — and then falsely recorded them as legal expenses. Each of Trump's convictions is related to a false document related to the cover-up.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has denied having a sexual relationship with Ms. Daniels. He repeatedly claimed that the case was politically motivated persecution.
The six-week trial turned into a legal, political and media firestorm. Larger-than-life characters like Cohen and Daniels faced questioning from Trump's lawyers.
Trump brought a series of family members and Republican allies to court with him each day to take the bench behind his defense. Each day, he turned a small media pen in the hallway outside the courtroom into his personal pulpit, using opportunities to rail against the judiciary, the press and other opponents.
Trump also used the furore of the trial to rally millions of supporters for his legal battles and his campaign to retake the White House.
In the four years between his terms in office, Trump was charged in four separate criminal cases, including the New York case. In the end, it was the only one that went to trial.
On the campaign trail and on social media, Trump used his legal entanglements to portray himself — and his supporters — as victims of a rigged justice system.
Despite multiple impeachments, including two that focused on his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, Trump decisively defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in November.
His victory overturned two federal prosecutions against him, including one for meddling in a federal election and one for allegedly mishandling classified documents. The third, an election interference case in Fulton County, Georgia, was mired in a series of delays and side dramas for months.
Only Trump's hush money trial came to an end after Judge Murchan balked in early January and demanded that Trump appear virtually or in person for his sentencing.
However, the battles did not stop there. Trump's lawyers frantically filed appeals and even petitioned the US Supreme Court to stop Friday's hearing.
The Supreme Court dismissed it in a brief order issued Thursday night.
They also fought to have the case dismissed on the grounds that presidents-elect have immunity from prosecution, an argument Judge Murchan rejected, but they continued to argue in higher courts.
When Trump's trial in New York ended with a final blow of the gavel on Friday, it also brought to an end a particularly difficult chapter in his personal and political history.
When he takes the oath of office in 10 days, he will do so as the first US president ever to be convicted of a crime.
As he concluded his sentence on Friday, Judge Murchan had one final message for Trump.
“I wish you God's blessing as you take on your second term,” he said.