Judge Suspends Trump Hush Money Sentencing

Judge Suspends Trump Hush Money Sentencing
Above: US Pres.-elect Donald Trump attends a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket on Nov. 19, 2024, in Brownsville, Texas. Image copyright: Brandon Bell/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

  • Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan has agreed to postpone US pres.-elect Donald Trump's Nov. 26 sentencing for his hush money case until after he's expected to leave office.

  • Trump was convicted in May by a Manhattan jury on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a $130K payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.


The Spin

Republican narrative

Despite their best efforts, the corrupt prosecutors and judges of New York have been forced to drop their witch hunt cases. While it shouldn't have taken a Republican landslide to reach this conclusion, the American people can rest assured that the man they voted for will be free to govern the country without worrying about left-leaning lawfare.

Democratic narrative

Despite Trump's criminal history, Democrats should consider ending all of his cases for the sake of democracy's stability. The election's outcome — where voters chose him despite high-profile charges — renders a verdict on their legitimacy. While these were legitimate convictions, the Constitution encourages American leadership not to set dangerous, politically driven precedents after an election.


Metaculus Prediction


Public figures in this story



Go Deeper


Articles on this story

Sign up to our daily newsletter