A judge has sentenced US President-elect Donald Trump to “unconditional release”, ending the first criminal trial of a former US president.
The conviction in the hush-money payment case meant the incoming president was spared any penalties, including jail time or fines, but would still be the first US president to take office with a felony conviction.
“Never before has this court been presented with such a unique and extraordinary situation,” Judge Juan Marchan said shortly before the sentencing, calling it a “truly extraordinary case.”
Appearing via video call from Florida and accompanied by his attorney and two prominent American flags, Trump declared he was “absolutely innocent.”
It was the first time in the year-and-a-half legal saga that Trump uttered more than “not guilty” or gave a brief affirmative answer.
Given a chance to speak before his sentencing, Trump railed against the case for several minutes.
“It has been a very terrible experience,” he said.
He claimed there had been a “weaponization” of the justice system and claimed the case was brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for political reasons.
“I want to explain that I was treated very, very unfairly and I thank you very much,” he said before falling silent.
As Bragg addressed Trump directly for the first time, he maintained a mostly stoic expression. He did, however, laugh when Trump claimed that Bragg never wanted to bring a lawsuit.
After Trump made his remarks, Justice Marchan took several moments to reflect on the “paradox” of the trial.
Justice Marchan noted that despite the media and political circus outside, “once the doors of the court were closed, it was no more unique than all the other cases taking place at the same time”.
But he added that after Trump's conviction, the case took another turn when the American people elected him to a second presidential term in November.
After careful consideration, he determined that “the only legitimate punishment without usurping the highest office in the land” was unconditional discharge—a sentence that would allow the American people to be unencumbered by pending court proceedings.
Trump was indicted by a New York jury in May 2024 on 34 felony counts.
The charges stemmed from a scheme to cover up hush money to an adult film star during the 2016 election days. Prosecutors argued that the payment was a form of election interference aimed at keeping important information from voters and therefore broke the law.
In October 2016, Trump's then-attorney, Michael Cohen, paid a woman named Stormy Daniels $130,000 (£106,000) to remain silent about a year-old alleged affair with the soon-to-be president.
After he was elected, Trump reimbursed Cohen in installments — and then falsely recorded them as legal expenses. Each of Trump's guilty convictions relates to a false document related to the cover-up.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has denied having sex with Ms Daniels. He has repeatedly claimed the case is a politically motivated persecution.
The six-week trial became a legal, political and media firestorm. Larger-than-life characters like Cohen and Daniels took the stand to face questioning from Trump's attorneys.
Trump brings a string of family members and Republican allies with him to court each day to fill the benches behind his defense table. Every day, he turned a small media pen in the hallway outside the courthouse into his personal pulpit, using the opportunities to rail against the judiciary, the press and other opponents.
Trump also used the outrage at the trial to raise millions from supporters for his legal battles and his campaign to retake the White House.
During his four years in office, Trump was indicted in four separate criminal cases, including his New York case. In the end, it was the only one that stood trial.
On the campaign trail and on social media, Trump has used his legal entanglements to portray himself — and his supporters — as victims of a rigged justice system.
Trump decisively defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in November, despite multiple impeachments, including two centered on efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
His victory overturned two federal prosecutions against him, including a federal election interference case and an alleged mishandling of classified documents. The third, an election interference case in Fulton County, Georgia, has been mired in months of delays and a series of side dramas.
Only Trump's hush-money trial reached an end after Justice Marchan dug in his heels in early January and demanded Trump appear virtually or in person for his sentencing.
But the war did not stop there. Trump's lawyers frantically filed appeals and even petitioned the US Supreme Court to postpone Friday's hearing.
The Supreme Court dismissed him in a summary order issued on Thursday night.
They fought to have the case dismissed arguing that the president-elect has immunity from criminal prosecution, an argument Justice Marchan rejected but continued to argue in the higher court.
When Trump's trial in New York was adjourned on Friday, it brought to a close this particularly fraught chapter in his personal and political history.
When he is sworn in 10 days from now, he will become the first US president to be convicted of a crime.
As he concluded his sentence Friday, Justice Marchan had one final message for Trump.
“I wish you Godspeed as you enter your second term in office,” he said.