Trump spared jail or fine at hush money case sentencing, days before taking office

Ten days before taking office, US President-elect Donald Trump will not go to jail or pay any fine over his criminal conviction stemming from hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016.

In Short

• New York judge says guilty judgment placed on Trump's record
• Trump says he is innocent, vows to appeal guilty verdict
• Case stems from Trump paying hush money to porn star over alleged sexual encounter

US President-elect Donald Trump has been spared from any punishment over his criminal conviction stemming from hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, and he will not pay any fine or go to jail, a New York judge ruled on Friday. The ruling came 10 days before Trump will take office after his swearing-in ceremony.

Justice Juan Merchan's sentencing of the 78-year-old Republican leader will place a judgment of guilt on his record. The sentencing to unconditional discharge closes a case that had cast a cloud over Trump's chances to retake the White House just before the oath ceremony on January 20.

By granting an unconditional discharge, Merchan would place a judgment of guilt on Trump's permanent record - without any other legal penalty such as custody, a fine or probation.

Trump, who appeared virtually for the hearing with his lawyer by his side today, pleaded not guilty and has vowed to appeal the guilty verdict.

"It's been a political witch hunt. It was done to damage my reputation. So, I would lose the election and obviously that didn’t work," the US President-elect said before the sentencing.

Trump, who did not testify during the six-week trial last year, asserted that he was innocent and did not do anything wrong.

The sentencing marks the culmination of the first-ever criminal case brought against a US president, past or present. Trump will be the first president to take office with a criminal conviction.

Trump is free to pursue his appeal, a process which could take years and hog headlines while he serves a four-year term at the White House.

Earlier on Thursday, the US Supreme Court rejected Trump's last-minute bid to delay his sentencing in a New York state court over criminal charges linked to hush money payments.

WHAT IS THE HUSH MONEY CASE?

In May 2024, Trump was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a USD 130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence before the 2016 US election about an alleged sexual encounter between her and the US President-elect a decade ago.

Trump has rejected Daniels's claim and his prosecutors contended that the payment was designed to help Trump's chances in the 2016 election, when he defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Falsification of business records is punishable by up to four years in prison.

Trump's lawyers argued that prosecutors improperly admitted evidence of his official acts during the trial. They also said that, as president-elect, Trump was immune from prosecution during the period between his November election victory and till the time he is sworn in on January 20.

The President-elect has denied the charges, alleging that it was an effort by opponents to weaponise the justice system against him and harm his re-election campaign.

(with inputs from Reuters)