Although he has not been fined or imprisoned in a criminal case involving "closed-man" money, Mr. Trump is now serving a sentence under US law.
On January 9, the US Supreme Court rejected Trump's request to block litigation, citing the court's own ruling on the president's immunity, allowing Judge Juan Merchan to hold an online trial on January 10.
"I affirm that the unconditional release measure is appropriate. I make this verdict, Judge Merchan said on January 10, agreeing with the prosecutors proposal.
The prosecution argued: This verdict establishes a state of conviction, even if he appeals. This means Trump will not face a direct punishment, but is still considered guilty in court.
For his part, Mr. Trump continues to deni the allegations. I am innocent of all the fabricated and forged accusations of judges, he wrote on Truth Social. This is an armament of the judicial system to attack political opponents. This is a dirty, unprecedented act of the law in American history, and it must never happen again.
In 2023, Mr. Trump was accused of false reporting of "closed-man" payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in 2017. Prosecutor Alvin Bragg has reduced the violations that are often considered a misdemeanor to 34 criminal charges, corresponding to each mention of payment in Mr. Trump's file.
Despite being convicted in May, the US Supreme Court in July ruled that the president's formal actions during his term could not be prosecuted. However, Judge Merchan rejected the opinion last month and continued to handle the case.
In a final move, the US Supreme Court on January 9 rejected a 5-4, majority vote with conservative judges John Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett and three free judges.
Despite all legal troubles, US voters still supported Mr. Trump in the November election, giving him both the popular and electoral votes to defeat Ms. Harris. Mr. Trump is scheduled to take office as the 47th president of the United States on January 20.
