Donald Trump was present for his sentencing nearly a year after he was convicted of 34 felony counts in his hush money trial. On Friday, January 10, 2025, the 78-year-old Republican attended the sentencing virtually, and the judge granted him “unconditional discharge.” Naturally, many want to know what this means and how it will affect Trump’s upcoming presidency if at all.
Before his sentencing took place, Trump called the hush money case a “great injustice” and claimed he was “innocent of all of the judge’s made up, fake charges” in a Truth Social post.
Learn what unconditional discharge means and everything we know about Trump’s sentencing below.
Trump’s Sentencing Details
In May 2024, Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records when his former attorney Michael Cohen paid off Stormy Daniels $130,000 to prevent her from speaking out about her alleged affair with Trump before he was elected in 2016. Daniels testified against Trump in court last year, and detailed her alleged sexual encounters with him, which Trump vehemently denied.
What Does Unconditional Discharge Mean?
Unconditional discharge is when an individual is released from a legal obligation without strings attached (i.e prison), meaning Trump will have the conviction under his belt but will not receive punishment.
According to New York State law, “The defendant shall be released with respect to the conviction for which the sentence is imposed without imprisonment, fine or probation supervision. A sentence of unconditional discharge is for all purposes a final judgment of conviction.”
Is Trump Going to Jail?
No, Trump is not going to prison following his sentencing because Judge Merchan granted him unconditional discharge.
Is Trump Still President?
Despite the fact that Trump is the first president in United States history to receive a conviction, he is still able to serve as president for the next four years. The U.S. Constitution does not eliminate a convicted individual from serving as president.
The requirements for a person to become president is that they must be at least 35 years old, be a natural born American citizen and must have been living in America for a minimum of 14 years.
