Judge Juan Merchan delivered words to Donald Trump that will go down in history, reminding him that no matter what, he will always be a felon—even as he is poised to return to the Oval Office as president.
While acknowledging the special legal protections that come with the presidency, Judge Merchan made it clear that those protections do not lessen the seriousness of the crime Trump committed, nor do they give him the power to erase a jury’s verdict.
“However the considerable, indeed extraordinary, legal protections afforded the office of the chief executive is a factor that overrides all others,” he said. “They do not reduce the seriousness of the crime or justify its commission in any way.”
He also stressed that being president doesn’t allow someone to undo the decision made by a jury.
“One power they do not provide is the power to erase a jury verdict,” Merchan said.
Judge Merchan reminded Trump that the legal protections of the presidency are granted by the voters, not by the individual holding the office.
“Ordinary citizens do not receive those legal protections. It is the office of the president that bestows those to the office holder. It is the citizenry of this nation that recently decided that you should once again receive the benefits of those protections,” he said.
Judge Merchan made it clear that the office of the president, not the person holding it, is extraordinary. He added that this trial, though unique in many ways, was no different from any other trial in the courthouse.
“This court has never seen such a ‘unique and remarkable set of circumstance,’” he said. “This has been a truly extraordinary case.”
Merchan’s words serve as a lasting reminder that Trump will always carry the mark of a felon, no matter his future position.
