Chicago – January 10, 2025
On Friday, President-elect Donald Trump made history by becoming the first former or incoming U.S. president to receive a criminal sentence. However, the sentence did not involve prison time or probation.
Instead, Trump was given an “unconditional discharge,” meaning there are no further legal obligations for him at this time. He will begin his second term as president on January 20.
Trump was convicted on May 30 of 34 felony charges for falsifying business records. This was related to payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, just before the presidential election, to keep the affair quiet. Although Trump did not attend the court hearing in person, he appeared through a video feed from South Florida.
During the hearing, Trump expressed that the experience had been a “very terrible” one and a setback for the court system in New York. After a brief session, Judge Juan Merchan decided to release Trump without any further conditions and wished him “Godspeed” as he prepares for his second term in office.
