Trump became the first US president to be sentenced with felony convictions. The president-elect, appearing remotely via video for the hush-money case, was given an unconditional discharge, which means he will not have to pay fines, serve prison time, or be under probation.
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00:00The defendant in this case, as you know, stands convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, all class E felonies.
00:09We certainly believe that the only appropriate sentence, if one is to be imposed at all, which we very much believe it shouldn't be, and that the case should be dismissed, is a sentence of unconditional discharge.
00:23Thank you. Would your client like to be heard?
00:26Yes, thank you, Your Honor. This has been a very terrible experience. I think it's been a tremendous setback for New York and the New York court system.
00:36It's been a political witch-hunt. It was done to damage my reputation so that I'd lose the election, and obviously that didn't work.
00:45I was under a gag order. I'm the first president in history that was under a gag order where I couldn't talk about aspects of the case that are very important.
00:52I guess I'm still under, so probably I won't do it now. I assume I'm still under a gag order.
00:58I'd just like to explain that I was treated very, very unfairly, and I thank you very much.
01:04Thank you, Mr. Trump. It is my obligation to consider any and all aggravating and mitigating factors to inform my decision.
01:12The considerable, indeed, extraordinary legal protections afforded by the Office of the Chief Executive is a factor that overrides all others.
01:22To be clear, the protections afforded the Office of the President are not a mitigating factor.
01:29They do not reduce the seriousness of the crime or justify its commission in any way.
01:36The protections are, however, a legal mandate which, pursuant to the rule of law, this Court must respect and follow.
01:45However, despite the extraordinary breadth of those protections, one power they do not provide is the power to erase a jury verdict.
01:52It is the Office of the President that bestows those far-reaching protections to the Office holder,
01:58and it was the citizenry of this nation that recently decided that you should once again receive the benefits of those protections,
02:05which include, among other things, the Supremacy Clause and presidential immunity.
02:12It is through that lens and that reality that this Court must determine a lawful sentence.
02:20After careful analysis, in obedience to governing mandates, and pursuant to the rule of law,
02:26this Court has determined that the only lawful sentence that permits entry of a judgment of conviction
02:33without encroaching upon the highest office in the land is an unconditional discharge,
02:39which the New York State legislature has determined is a lawful and permissible sentence for
02:45the crime of falsifying business records in the first degree.
02:50Therefore, at this time, I impose that sentence to cover all 34 counts.
02:57Sir, I wish you Godspeed as you assume your second term in office. Thank you.