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Friday’s punishment was largely symbolic, but it ensured that Donald J. Trump would become America’s first felon president.
- Jan. 10, 2025, 1:45 p.m. ET
Unlike Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial, which lasted seven dramatic weeks, his sentencing Friday was brief.
One day after Mr. Trump sat with other former presidents at Jimmy Carter’s funeral, he appeared in court via a video screen in front of two American flags. About thirty minutes later, he was officially deemed a felon.
The president-elect was convicted in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a scheme to cover up a sexual encounter with a porn star, a salacious story that threatened to derail his 2016 presidential campaign.
Here are five takeaways from Mr. Trump’s sentencing:
Dramatic trial, subdued sentencing.
Mr. Trump’s trial, which culminated in a guilty verdict in May, was a dramatic affair complete with the intimate details of a scandal, tearful testimony from a former aide and ruthless cross-examinations, including that of Mr. Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen.
But on Friday, the sentencing was largely symbolic and predictable. Mr. Trump received an unconditional discharge, a rare sentence in New York courts that doesn’t subject him to jail time or any other requirements.
While the events were not surprising, they were without precedent: Mr. Trump will be the first felon to occupy the Oval Office when he is inaugurated in 10 days.
