Trump Sentenced to Unconditional Release in New York Case: 5 Things to Know

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

65% : "Never before has this court been presented with such a unique and remarkable set of circumstances," he said, referring to Trump having won the Nov. 5, 2024, election.
51% : In handing down the sentence, Merchan noted that Trump is the president-elect and will soon take office.
46% : Trump initiated multiple last-ditch appeals to New York state courts and, later, the U.S. Supreme Court.
40% : The judge issued several gag order-related fines to Trump, and at one point, threatened to jail him for comments he had made during the proceedings.
36% : In December 2024, Smith opted to drop both cases against Trump and cited Department of Justice (DOJ) policies around not prosecuting sitting presidents.
33% : As Merchan delivered the sentence, Trump sat upright, lips pursed, and was frowning slightly.
33% : In Washington and Florida, Trump faced federal charges that were brought by special counsel Jack Smith, who accused him of election interference and illegally retaining classified documents after leaving the White House and obstructing efforts to retrieve them.
32% : Trump pleaded not guilty in both cases.
31% : Merchan imposed a gag order on Trump from speaking about court staff, the district attorney's staff, members of their families, members of Merchan's family, and witnesses in the case.
29% : Justice Juan Merchan sentenced Trump to unconditional release, which means he will not face any prison time or penalties.
28% : Trump said that it was his accountants who wrote down legal expenses that ultimately became the basis of the case against him.
27% : During his weeks-long trial in May 2024, Trump did not take the witness stand or make any comments during the proceedings.
26% : "It's been a political witch hunt," Trump said.
25% : Although Trump fought the sentencing in court, Merchan could have sentenced him to up to four years in prison.
23% : "Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass on Friday recommended that Merchan sentence Trump to unconditional discharge, citing circumstances including Trump's impending return to the presidency on Jan. 20.
21% : "Trump said that the case and trial have "been a very terrible experience" that also marks a "tremendous setback for New York and the New York court system," according to courthouse reporters.

*Our bias meter rating uses data science including sentiment analysis, machine learning and our proprietary algorithm for determining biases in news articles. Bias scores are on a scale of -100% to 100% with higher negative scores being more liberal and higher positive scores being more conservative, and 0% being neutral. The rating is an independent analysis and is not affiliated nor sponsored by the news source or any other organization.