New York, Jan 10: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is set to face sentencing on Friday for his criminal conviction related to hush money payments made to a porn star. The case, which briefly overshadowed his campaign to return to the White House, has drawn national attention as the first criminal conviction of a U.S. president.
The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the 9:30 a.m. ET (1430 GMT) sentencing in Manhattan’s New York state court by rejecting Trump’s last-minute appeal to delay the proceedings just ten days before his Jan. 20 inauguration.
Justice Juan Merchan, who presided over the six-week trial last year, has indicated he is unlikely to impose jail time or fines. However, a formal guilty judgment would remain on Trump’s permanent record. The 78-year-old president-elect, who pleaded not guilty, is expected to attend the hearing virtually.
Trump had fiercely resisted the idea of being sentenced so close to his return to public office. Legal experts suggested he sought to avoid the stigma of being officially labeled a convicted felon.
“He doesn’t want to be sentenced because that cements the reality of his conviction,” said Cheryl Bader, a law professor at Fordham University.
The trial unfolded during Trump’s successful campaign to regain the presidency, adding an unprecedented dimension to his political resurgence. The sentencing represents the conclusion of the first-ever criminal trial against a current or former U.S. president.
In March 2023, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 payment by Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to adult film star Stormy Daniels. The payment aimed to buy her silence about an alleged affair, which Trump has denied, ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in that election.
A Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of all counts on May 30, with prosecutors arguing the scheme was a bid to manipulate the 2016 election. Critics seized on the conviction as evidence of Trump’s unfitness for office, but he framed it as a politically motivated attack.
Trump claimed this and other legal challenges—including three additional criminal indictments and multiple civil lawsuits—were attempts to sabotage his reelection campaign. His supporters echoed these sentiments, while opponents cited his continued defiance as proof of disregard for the rule of law.
During the trial, Trump repeatedly violated gag orders, prompting fines from Judge Merchan, who accused Trump of displaying disrespect for the judiciary. As recently as Jan. 3, Trump criticized Merchan on his Truth Social platform, calling him a “radical partisan.”
Despite these controversies, Trump remained defiant, declaring his intent to appeal the conviction.
A Mixed Political Impact
While the hush money case was less severe than other charges Trump faced—such as efforts to overturn the 2020 election and mishandling classified documents—it was the only criminal case to go to trial. Federal prosecutors halted their cases against him following his November 2024 election victory due to Justice Department policy against prosecuting sitting presidents.
The political ramifications of the case were mixed. Trump’s indictment in March 2023 initially spurred a surge in campaign contributions, consolidating his position as the Republican frontrunner. However, his standing among voters dipped after the guilty verdict, with many viewing the charges as credible.
By the time sentencing approached, the case had largely receded from public attention, eclipsed by President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race after a poor debate performance and a dramatic assassination attempt on Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania.
Judge Merchan initially scheduled sentencing for July 11, but delays requested by Trump pushed it into the post-election period. In agreeing to the delays, Merchan emphasized his intention to avoid influencing the election’s outcome.
Though falsifying business records carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison, legal experts noted that Trump’s advanced age, lack of prior criminal history, and recent electoral victory made a severe punishment unlikely.
