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President-elect Donald Trump received an unconditional discharge for his criminal conviction in New York on Friday, meaning he will not face fines, prison, or any other penalties.

The former and future president appeared virtually in a Manhattan courtroom on Friday for his sentencing on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to conceal a payment to an adult film star.

During the brief hearing, New York state Judge Juan Merchan said the only lawful sentence that does not encroach on the office of the president is that of an unconditional discharge on all counts.

The 2024 election results loomed over the hearing, with Trump just 10 days away from being sworn into the oval office for a second term. Trump had argued the sentencing would interfere with his ability to govern, and said he plans to appeal.

This was the first time that a former, future or sitting U.S. president has been tried on criminal charges. And this was the only one of Trump's criminal cases to see trial.

"Trial was a paradox," Merchan said, noting the high level of security and media attention. But "once doors closed, it was no more unique than the other 32 trials taking place in this courthouse at the same exact time."

But while the trial could be seen as an ordinary procedure, Merchan said, the same cannot be said about the circumstances surrounding the sentencing because Trump is about to occupy the office of the president.

"Sir, I wish you Godspeed as you assume your second term in office," Merchan said before leaving the bench.

Trump on Thursday exhausted his last legal maneuver to stop the sentencing, after a narrow majority of Supreme Court justices 

Prosecutors in the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg recommended that Trump get the minimal sentence of unconditional discharge, as a way to ensure the trial's finality and respect the jury's verdict, while not interfering with Trump's ability to govern.

An "unconditional discharge" means the president-elect must do nothing, but the conviction will remain on his record.

Right before being formally sentenced, Merchan offered Trump the opportunity to speak. During his remarks, Trump doubled down on his defense: that the business records were legal expenses, not hush-money payments, and recorded by accountants, not by him.

"I would just like to explain that I was treated very, very unfairly," Trump said, after reiterating the false claim that the trial is politically motivated, and arguing that he is innocent despite the jury conviction.

Prosecutors pushed back against Trump's attempts to characterize the trial as politically motivated.

"The defendant's conduct constitutes a direct attack on the rule of law itself," said Josh Steinglass, one of the prosecutors. "This defendant has caused enduring damage to the public perception of the criminal justice system and has placed officers and court in harm's way."

Since Trump's conviction in May, Merchan has postponed the sentencing several times, including to avoid any perception of political bias ahead of Election Day, and then to allow Trump to argue he had immunity in the case, based on a Supreme Court 

Merchan ultimately denied the immunity claims, and the dismissal, paving the way for the hearing on Friday.

Anna Cominsky, director of the criminal defense clinic at New York Law School, said the sentence does give the public a measure of closure about the case — even as the planned appeals could stretch on for years.

"It certainly makes sense that there be some finality to this case because as a nation, we should want to move on, in particular as he assumes the role of president, and be able to look forward to the next four years without this sentence pending," Cominsky said. "There has to be an end."

In May, Trump became the first former or sitting U.S. president to be tried on criminal charges and 

The jury in Manhattan state court heard from 22 witnesses during about a month of testimony in Manhattan's criminal court. Jurors also weighed other evidence — mostly documents like phone records, invoices and checks to Michael Cohen, Trump's once loyal "fixer," who paid adult-film star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about her story of an alleged affair with the former president.

After about a day-and-a-half of deliberations, the 12 jurors said they unanimously agreed that Trump falsified business records to conceal a $130,000 hush money payment to Daniels in order to influence the 2016 presidential election.

But the conviction appeared to have little impact on Trump's popularity — and ultimate electoral victory during the 2024 presidential election. He has used the legal drama to mobilize donations for his campaign and mounting legal fees.

Within 24 hours of the guilty verdict, Trump's campaign boasted of raising millions of dollars.

 in November's election ultimately chose to bring Trump back to the White House. Todd Blanche, one of Trump's lawyers on the case, said the electoral results showed voters believed this case was illegitimate, and that he and Trump share the "view that this will never happen again in this country."

"The voters got a chance to see and decide for themselves if this was a case that should've been brought. And they decided," Blanche said during the hearing on Friday. Trump has nominated Blanche as deputy attorney general in his administration.

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President-elect Donald Trump received an unconditional discharge for his criminal conviction, meaning he will get a criminal record but no other penalties.

Trump is sentenced in hush money case — but gets no penalty or fine

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