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United States President-elect Donald Trump was formally sentenced in his New York criminal hush money case to an “unconditional discharge” – a sentence that means the soon-to-be president won’t face ongoing restrictions despite his conviction.
Trump Friday, ç received the first ever criminal sentence for a former or incoming U.S. president , an “unconditional discharge” that means Trump will get no prison time or probation as he prepares to enter the White House for a second term on Jan. 20.
“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.
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Trump was convicted May 30 on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money Payment ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
The incoming president, who did not physically attend the sentencing, appeared via a remote video feed from South Florida.
After a 30-minute hearing, Judge Juan Merchan released Trump without any ongoing conditions, wishing him “Godspeed” in his second presidential term.
Reactions in Manhattan
Just before noon, Stella Zhang took a break from working at home. She just wanted to get some sun, she said at the park across the street from the Manhattan courthouse. The sunshine peered between skyscrapers.
For a few minutes, she stood at the end of a small bridge that runs through a dry, manmade pond. Before, the bridge had barricades separating scores of demonstrators for and against Trump. The protests had been raucous at times, similar to a circus. But Zhang, who said she isn’t political, didn’t notice it before, especially since protests happen there often. On Friday, Zhang was the only person watching as a handful of Trump supporters packed up to leave.