US President-elect Donald Trump was formally sentenced without penalty on Friday in the New York hush money case, following a symbolic, historic, and unprecedented hearing.

 

The proceedings marked the first felony conviction of a former president who is set to return to the White House, as reported by CNN.

 

Judge Juan Merchan addressed Trump during the sentencing, emphasizing that the extraordinary legal protections afforded to the office of the presidency—not its occupant—compelled him to impose an unconditional discharge without any punitive measures.

 

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Speaking at the hearing, Trump criticized the case and its impact, stating, "This has been a tremendous setback for New York and the New York court system."

 

He reiterated his long-standing claim that the case was politically motivated, calling it a "political witch hunt." Trump added, "It was done to damage my reputation so that I’d lose the election. Obviously, that didn’t work, and I won, receiving the largest number of votes by far for any Republican candidate in history."

 

Trump was convicted in May on 34 counts of falsifying business records. While he has vowed to continue appealing the conviction, Friday’s sentencing cements his status as the first convicted felon set to assume the presidency just 10 days from now.

 

Though President-elect Trump has been sentenced, he has made it clear that he intends to challenge the conviction. Despite not facing penalties in the case, Trump stated, "We’re going to appeal anyway, just psychologically, because frankly, it’s a disgrace. It’s a judge that shouldn’t have been on the case," in a Thursday night statement from Mar-a-Lago, reported by CNN.

 

Trump’s legal team is expected to pursue all available avenues to contest the conviction while he is in office, a process that could take years. With Judge Merchan’s final judgment now entered, Trump’s attorneys can file a substantive appeal with the state appellate court.