Donald Trump is set to be sentenced by Judge Juan Merchan in Manhattan Criminal Court on Friday morning after he was found guilty on all counts at his hush money trial last year – just 10 days before his second inauguration to the presidency.
The Supreme Court declined to stop the sentencing on Thursday, its justices ruling 5-4 in favor of allowing Judge Merchan to proceed.
The president-elect will therefore appear virtually for the sentencing hearing at 9.30am ET today, with an “unconditional discharge” sentence expected after he was convicted for falsifying business records to hide a payment to the porn star Stormy Daniels in October 2016 to ensure her silence ahead of Election Day about an extramarital sexual encounter she alleges they had a decade earlier.
Trump called the SCOTUS decision “fair” on Thursday but insisted he would be filing a fresh appeal.
Also yesterday, the president-elect attended the funeral of former president Jimmy Carter in Washington DC, sitting alongside fellow commanders-in-chief Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton.
He has otherwise been promoting his dreams of acquiring Canada and Greenland and attacking California Governor Gavin Newsom over the Los Angeles wildfires.
All the interactions between the presidents at Carter’s funeral
Instances when all five living Amerian presidents come together are rare.
But for Jimmy Carter’s funeral on Thursday, they were all there.
President-elect Donald Trump was the first to arrive alongside former and future first lady Melania Trump.
Barack Obama, the Clintons, Bushes and Bidens were also in attendance.
Michelle Obama was the only living first lady who was absent, with reports claiming she was in Hawaii.
Outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff were the last to take their seats among a sea of lawmakers and members of previous administrations. G
iven the funeral’s proximity to the election — and the heated rhetoric over the past few years — some notably awkward moments were spotted by those watching the service.
Here’s more from Gustaf Kilander.
Joe Sommerlad10 January 2025 11:15
