President-elect Donald Trump is lashing out after being sentenced on 34 felony convictions, calling the process a “witch hunt” and claiming he was “treated very unfairly.” Despite avoiding prison time, Trump’s felony status marks a historic low point for a U.S. president-elect, and the consequences—like losing his right to own a firearm in Florida—are already piling up.
Trump called the whole trial a “witch hunt” during his sentencing hearing on Friday, but he saved his angriest comments for a post-hearing rant on Truth Social.
“The Radical Democrats have lost another pathetic, unAmerican Witch Hunt. After spending tens of millions of dollars, wasting over 6 years of obsessive work that should have been spent on protecting New Yorkers from violent, rampant crime that is destroying the City and State, coordinating with the Biden/Harris Department of Injustice in lawless Weaponization, and bringing completely baseless, illegal, and fake charges against your 45th and 47th President, ME, I was given an UNCONDITIONAL DISCHARGE. That result alone proves that, as all Legal Scholars and Experts have said, THERE IS NO CASE, THERE WAS NEVER A CASE, and this whole Scam fully deserves to be DISMISSED,” he wrote.
An unconditional discharge means Trump won’t face jail, fines, or probation, but he’ll now be the first U.S. president in history to carry the label of felon when he’s sworn in on Jan. 20.
As a felon, Trump can’t own a firearm in Florida or serve on a jury. (The latter doesn’t seem like something he was lining up to do anyway.)
Trump attended the hearing virtually from Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach and wasn’t shy about speaking up this time. “This has been a very terrible experience,” he said, adding that the conviction was a “tremendous setback” for the New York court system. He called the trial a “political witch hunt” meant to hurt his reputation and his 2024 campaign, claiming he was “totally innocent.”
“I was treated very, very unfairly, and I thank you very much,” he said, wrapping up his remarks.
But his Truth Social post later was far less composed.
“The real Jury, the American People, have spoken, by Re-Electing me with an overwhelming MANDATE in one of the most consequential Elections in History. As the American People have seen, this “case” had no crime, no damages, no proof, no facts, no Law, only a highly conflicted Judge, a star witness who is a disbarred, disgraced, serial perjurer, and criminal Election Interference,” Trump ranted.
Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the case, said “Godspeed” after announcing the sentence. Afterward, Trump’s video feed was “abruptly turned off,” according to the Times, signaling the end of the hearing.
The Manhattan trial, which wrapped up in the spring, focused on Trump’s 34 charges of falsifying business records to hide a hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels. Daniels, an adult film actress, claims she had an affair with Trump in 2006 during the early years of his marriage to Melania. Trump’s legal team is expected to appeal the conviction.
“Today’s event was a despicable charade, and now that it is over, we will appeal this Hoax, which has no merit, and restore the trust of Americans in our once great System of Justice. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass didn’t hold back in his final remarks, saying Trump’s actions had damaged public trust in the legal system and endangered those involved in the case.
For Trump, Friday’s sentencing may just be another chapter in this long-running legal drama. But for now, he’s using it as more fuel for his campaign fire.
