(UPDATE) NEW YORK, United States — Donald Trump will be sentenced Friday for covering up hush money payments to a porn star despite the US president-elect's last-ditch efforts to frustrate a process that would make him the first felon in the White House.
The judge has indicated, however, that Trump will not face prison — even though the 34 counts of falsifying business records on which he was convicted in May 2024 carry potential prison time. It is instead anticipated that he will receive the mildest criminal sanction available, an unconditional discharge — a relatively uncommon measure.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks to members of the media during a press conference at the Mar-a-Lago Club on January 07, 2025 in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on January 20, making him the only president other than Grover Cleveland to serve two non-consecutive terms in office. Scott Olson/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by SCOTT OLSON / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)