Trump becomes first ex-president sentenced for criminal conviction: live updates

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

76% : They led chants of "We love Trump!"
66% : Judge Juan Merchan asked President-elect Donald Trump if he wanted to address the court and Trump said, "Yes," thanking Merchan.
63% : "Donald Trump is going to put this country first and us first," one supporter yelled.- Eduardo CuevasProsecutor recommends Trump be sentenced to 'unconditional discharge'Despite outlining what he alleged was Trump's disrespect for the rule of law, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass recommended Judge Juan Merchan impose an "unconditional discharge" sentence against the president-elect, which would mean Trump doesn't face any ongoing conditions as a result of his sentence.
61% : Trump may be appearing by video feed on these monitors once proceedings start at 9:30 a.m. EDT.
59% : ""I'll do my little thing tomorrow - they can have fun with their political opponent," Trump said.
58% : -Sarah D. WireTrump supporter: Election gains in New York sign of diversity, inclusionAriel Kohane, a 53-year-old Republican district leader on the Upper West Side, said the diverse group of supporters Friday morning outside the Manhattan courthouse -- from Asians for Trump, to "Black Lives MAGA" -- showed Trump's appeal to a diverse coalition.
52% : However, prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office said in a Thursday filing to the U.S. Supreme Court that Trump would be attending "by video.
50% : Daniels described the alleged encounter in significant detail, including alleging Trump was wearing silky pajamas that evening and said Daniels reminded him of his daughter.
48% : A small, diverse group of Trump supporters gathered in front of the courthouse displaying pro-Trump and American flags.
47% : After a 30-minute hearing, Judge Juan Merchan released Trump without any ongoing conditions, wishing him "Godspeed" in his second presidential term.
46% : It was somebody involved with my political opponent," Trump added, appearing to suggest the case was politically motivated.
46% : Trump said legal fees and legal expenses were "put down" as legal expenses by accountants, and for that he got indicted.
46% : Mostly quiet, the groups held signs in the shadow of the courthouse, where Trump is expected to be sentenced this morning.
45% : Trump added that he "won conclusively" all seven swing states as well as the popular vote in 2024, suggesting public perception of the case helped him at the polls.
44% : On Friday, Zhang was the only person watching as a handful of Trump supporters packed up to leave.
44% : One of the most anticipated witnesses was Stormy Daniels, the adult film actress whose allegation of a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006 - an allegation he denies - prompted the 2016 hush money payment at the heart of the case.
44% : Trump is required to attend his sentencing, but Judge Juan Merchan gave the real estate mogul the option to attend virtually or in-person.
43% : Merchan said an unconditional discharge appeared to be "the most viable solution" to the particular difficulties presented by Trump's sentencing, including his upcoming presidency.- Aysha BagchiWhat is the courtroom like for Trump's sentencing?Security procedures at the Manhattan courthouse were more lax Friday morning than they were during Trump's trial - possibly because Trump has chosen to appear virtually rather than in-person for his sentencing.
43% : The court noted Judge Juan Merchan's stated plan not to place conditions on Trump and that the proceeding would be a "brief virtual hearing.
40% : Even if they are still registered as Democrats, he said the war in Gaza and antisemitism in the U.S. are driving them to Trump.
39% : There are several arguments Trump could raise on appeal, including challenges to Judge Juan Merchan's decisions about what evidence and testimony prosecutors could present and Merchan's instructions to the jury on the law.
38% : Trump repeatedly vowed to appeal even before the sentencing.
38% : That sentence means Trump won't face jail time, community service, or even supervision in New York.
38% : That sentence would mean Trump is released without imprisonment, without a fine, and without being under the supervision of New York's probation system.
38% : Speaking to reporters Thursday evening from his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, Trump confirmed he would attend his Friday sentencing, but added that his fight against the New York case is a "long way from finished.
37% : "-Eduardo CuevasTrump has shown 'disdain' for rule of law: ProsecutorProsecutor Joshua Steinglass, who delivered closing arguments for the prosecution team during the trial, is addressing Judge Juan Merchan.
37% : Even though Trump had already been convicted of felonies, Jamie Bauer, a 66-year-old organizer with the group, said it was important to witness the sentencing of a president.
37% : In a Jan. 3 order, Merchan said he would allow the virtual option to address concerns about imposing significant demands on Trump as he prepares for his upcoming presidency.
37% : Prosecutors proved beyond any reasonable doubt that Trump disguised the reimbursement as payments to retain Cohen's legal services, according to the 12 jurors who unanimously convicted the former reality TV star.
36% : On Friday, Trump supporters only gathered in the park, sometimes chanting against Judge Merchan.
34% : Steinglass alleged that Trump has placed court officers in harm's way.- Aysha BagchiMassive flag supporting Trump outside courthouseA 100-foot flag that read "Trump Won Trifecta" spanned much of a park outside the courthouse where protesters have gathered throughout the court proceedings in sometimes heated exchanges.
33% : In his efforts to block the sentencing, Trump already said his conviction should be tossed out based on testimony and evidence presented to the jury that related to his first presidential term.
33% : Trump pointed to broad national and international challenges, suggesting the New York case was comparatively trivial.
33% : "This is who we're going to have as president for four years," Bauer said in front of the courthouse, holding a sign showing Trump that read "No jail time is an injustice to us all."
32% : "- Josh Meyer'I wish you Godspeed': Merchan sentences Trump with no ongoing conditionsIn brief remarks to President-elect Donald Trump, Judge Juan Merchan said the proper sentence for the real estate mogul, taking everything into account, is an unconditional discharge.
32% : With our largest and most important cities "burning to the ground," Trump said, he got indicted for calling a legal expense a legal expense.
32% : Trump argued that the business records at issue in the case were accurate, despite the jury's verdict that they were falsified to cover up a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.
32% : Trump had urged the justices to block it based on the immunity he argued he gets as a past and future president.
32% : Trump has denied the encounter ever happened.
31% : "The fact that Trump was able to use this first criminal charge as a campaign issue and fundraising tool also shows, Dallek said, "that Americans have grown increasingly ever more skeptical and cynical and disgusted with the political system and with institutions, and that includes the courts, the criminal justice system and politicians that brought Trump to his courthouse.
31% : The jury concluded Trump had falsified business records to mischaracterize repaying his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, for a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.
31% : Theoretically, Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan has the option to sentence Trump to jail or prison.
29% : Trump was convicted May 30 on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
29% : Blanche agreed with Steinglass, however, that Merchan should impose an "unconditional discharge" sentence that would release Trump without any ongoing restrictions.
29% : Merchan described that sentence as "the most viable solution" to close down the case, enable Trump to appeal the verdict, and avoid interfering with Trump's impending presidency.
28% : "Trump now has 30 days to file a "notice of appeal" challenging his criminal conviction in the New York state court system.
27% : Before, the bridge had barricades separating scores of demonstrators for and against Trump.
26% : After spending tens of millions of dollars, wasting over 6 years of obsessive work that should have been spent on protecting New Yorkers from violent, rampant crime that is destroying the City and State, coordinating with the Biden/Harris Department of Injustice in lawless Weaponization, and bringing completely baseless, illegal, and fake charges against your 45th and 47th President, ME, I was given an UNCONDITIONAL DISCHARGE," Trump wrote in the post.New York Justice Juan Merchan issued a so-called "unconditional discharge," a decision that spares the incoming president any jail time, fines or probation but upholds his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in the final days of the 2016 presidential campaign.
26% : Trump was convicted of falsifying business records to cover up that he was paying Cohen back in 2017.
26% : The Trump transition team didn't respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on whether Trump planned to attend virtually or in-person.
25% : Trump will likely continue to raise arguments about the criminal immunity he says he gets as a former and future president.
25% : Steinglass is emphasizing that Trump was convicted by a Manhattan jury that listened to several weeks of testimony, and arguing that the president-elect has disrespected the legal process.
25% : Trump pledged again to appeal his conviction, even though he said he wasn't anticipating being hit with a penalty Friday.
23% : "This has been a very terrible experience" and a "setback" for the New York court system, Trump told the judge overseeing his case minutes before his sentence was handed down.
23% : The president-elect also described wars, inflation problems, and other "horrible things going on" as he faced the New York criminal charges for which he is now convicted.- Aysha BagchiTrump suggests criminal case helped him win electionPresident-elect Donald Trump argued to Judge Juan Merchan that the American people "got to see" that he was unfairly indicted "firsthand," and after that they voted and he won the November election.
23% : "Trump never broke the law," he said, calling the proceedings communist and fascist.
23% : Not the biggest, the best."Cini credited the criminal case with electing Trump for a second term.
23% : While there is no minimum sentence, each of Trump's 34 felony convictions carries a maximum penalty of four years, although New York law caps the total sentence for the types of felonies Trump was convicted of - Class E felonies - at 20 years.
22% : "Far from expressing any kind of remorse," Steinglass continued, Trump has shown "disdain" for institutions and for "the rule of law."
22% : Trump has characterized the proceedings as "corrupt," as a "witch hunt" and as a "sham," Steinglass noted.- Aysha Bagchi'Let's impose sentence, please': Trump sentencing beginsAfter asking the lawyers about a probation report, Judge Juan Merchan formally began the historic sentencing proceedings with: "Let's impose sentence, please.
22% : Trump is being sentenced on 34 felony convictions.
22% : Trump was charged and convicted of felonies, not just misdemeanors, because the jury determined Trump was falsifying the records to conceal or commit another crime.
21% : He called it "Jexit," a reference of Jews exiting the Democratic Party, akin to "Blexit" for Black Americans.- Eduardo CuevasPolitical historian: Trump sentencing an 'insane spectacle'Matthew Dallek, a historian and professor of political management at George Washington University, described Trump's sentencing - even if the president-elect appeared remotely via screen - as an "insane spectacle" that perfectly sums up Trump's popularity, his re-election and place in history and, ultimately, America's current distrust of the American political system.
21% : "This has been a very terrible experience" and a "setback" for the New York court system, Trump said.
21% : "We're going to appeal anyway - just, psychologically - because frankly it's a disgrace," Trump said.
19% : Keep up with USA TODAY's updates from inside and outside the Manhattan courtroom:Judge Merchan made Donald Trump sentencing audio availableMerchan gave Americans an unusual level of access Friday by making public the audio from President-elect Donald Trump's criminal sentencing.
18% : NEW YORK - President-elect Donald Trump received the first ever criminal sentencing for a former or incoming U.S. president on Friday, an "unconditional discharge" that means Trump will get no prison time or probation as he prepares to enter the White House for a second time on Jan. 20.
18% : "Trump was convicted of falsifying business records 34 separate times to cover up that he was repaying his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, for sending porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to stay quiet about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump.
13% : Still, Steinglass argued that Trump has inflicted "enduring damage to public perception of the criminal justice system" through his attacks on the case and those involved in it.
11% : With that, the brief sentencing proceedings - they lasted about 30 minutes - concluded.- Aysha BagchiLargest cities 'burning to the ground': Trump criticizes New York caseContinuing to address Judge Merchan, President-elect Trump criticized the New York hush money case, which was the only one of his four criminal cases to go to trial before his November election victory.
1% : Kohane wore a red yarmulke emblazoned with "Trump."While Trump lost New York City by a large margin, Trump made record gains, garnering about 30% of city voters in the 2024 election, according to the New York Times.

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