NEW YORK — Ten days ahead of his presidential inauguration, Donald Trump is scheduled to be sentenced Friday morning in New York for committing what the judge in his case characterized as a "premeditated and continuous deception" to illegally influence the 2016 presidential election.
President-elect Trump -- who plans to attend the 9:30 a.m. hearing virtually from his Mar-a-Lago estate -- is expected to receive the lightest possible sentence allowable under New York law, though the sentencing effectively finalizes his unprecedented status as the first former president to be a convicted criminal.
The sentencing hearing concludes an embarrassing and nearly decade-long ordeal for the former president, who has long maintained his innocence but sat through weeks of testimony detailing an alleged scheme to influence the 2016 election by paying off an adult film actress who said she had affair with Trump in 2006, three months after his wife gave birth to his youngest son.
"So I'll do my little thing tomorrow. They can have fun with their political opponent," Trump told reporters Thursday night ahead of the sentencing.
Trump was convicted by a jury in May following a six-week trial and was set to be sentenced in July, but a sweeping Supreme Court ruling and his successful presidential campaign helped his lawyers delay his sentencing three times. His lawyers attempted to accomplish the same feat this week but were denied four separate times -- including by the U.S. Supreme Court -- after arguing that Trump should be immune from criminal prosecution as president-elect.
"Forcing President Trump to prepare for a criminal sentencing in a felony case while he is preparing to lead the free world as President of the United States in less than two weeks imposes an intolerable, unconstitutional burden on him that undermines these vital national interests," Trump's lawyers unsuccessfully argued.
A narrowly divided Supreme Court denied the request on Thursday night, with Chief Justice John Roberts and Trump-appointee Amy Coney Barrett joining the court's three liberal justices. The majority wrote that the hearing imposed a "relatively insubstantial" burden on Trump based on the anticipated sentence.
Judge Juan Merchan -- who has overseen the case since April 2023 -- suggested in a court filing last week that he plans to sentence Trump to an unconditional discharge, a rarely used option that allows the judge to finalize the judgment in the case without handing down punishment. If his sentence is unconditionally discharged, Trump would receive no jail time, financial penalty, or probationary period.
Though Merchan could have sentenced Trump up to four years in prison, he opted to give him the lightest possible sentence to "ensure finality" -- including Trump's right to appeal -- while also respecting the principle of presidential immunity, which takes effect on Jan. 20 once Trump becomes president.
The sentencing is expected to take approximately one hour and include what's called an allocution, in which Trump can make a statement to the court. Judge Merchan is also expected to comment on the nature of crime for which Trump was convicted. In a filing last week, the judge harshly criticized what he called Trump's "disdain" for the judiciary.
"Defendant's disdain for the Third Branch of government, whether state or federal, in New York or elsewhere, is a matter of public record," Merchan wrote. "Indeed, Defendant has gone to great lengths to broadcast on social media and other forums his lack of respect for judges, juries, grand juries and the justice system as a whole."
Since his conviction, Trump has maintained his innocence and has baselessly alleged that he is the victim of a political persecution directed by the federal government. Leaving the courtroom shortly after his conviction in May, Trump blasted the trial as "disgrace" and Judge Merchan as "corrupt."
"The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people," the newly convicted Trump declared.
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