Will Donald Trump be jailed for hush money conviction?
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Trump, who was found guilty of committing 34 felonies, is first ever US president to face a criminal trial and sentencing. Donald Trump will be sentenced in his historic New York hush money case today, becoming the first US president – former or sitting – to face a criminal trial, let alone a guilty verdict and subsequent sentencing.
![[Donald Trump speaking at a press conference following his guilty verdict in the criminal hush money trial in May 2024]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/07/16/newFile-3.jpg)
Mr Trump is set to be sentenced at 9:30am local time (2.30pm GMT) after Manhattan-based Judge Juan Merchan denied his attempt to throw out the guilty verdict and the Supreme Court voted 5-4 against pausing the sentencing. The court ruled the hearing will not be delayed because Mr Trump’s argument for throwing out the verdict can be addressed in the standard appeals process, and the sentencing will place an “insubstantial” burden on Mr Trump as no penalties will be imposed.
![[Justice Juan Merchan says an unconditional discharge is the most likely option]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/17/22/2024-12-17T002304Z_873374224_RC2NQBAXOAZQ_RTRMADP_3_USA-TRUMP-NEW-YORK.jpg)
Mr Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, with prosecutors arguing Mr Trump falsely recorded reimbursements he made to his former lawyer Michael Cohen for paying $130,000 to adult film star Stormy Daniels, so she would keep quiet about an alleged affair with the then-candidate.
![[Trump, alongside his attorney Todd Blanche, speaks to the media as he arrives for his criminal trial]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/06/22/2024-12-17T002918Z_460201713_RC2018A1J086_RTRMADP_3_USA-TRUMP-NEW-YORK.jpg)
The trial played out with the extraordinary backdrop of Mr Trump’s hugely successful campaign to retake the White House four years after he was kicked out of office. Ms Daniels was claiming she had had a sexual encounter with Mr Trump. Mr Trump denies this and denies allegations of an affair.
State prosecutors contended at trial that Mr Trump marked these repayments to Cohen as “legal expenses” on financial documents, intendeding to hide Trump’s violation of New York election law, which forbids promoting any person to office through unlawful means. They said that the unlawful means were the payoff to Daniels, as they cast it as an illegal campaign contribution.
