Donald Trump will face sentencing over his New York “hush money” conviction on Friday, after the US Supreme Court declined to grant him a last-minute reprieve.
The decision will force the president-elect to face public proceedings in the criminal case that he has fought strenuously to avoid. His lawyers had appealed to the high court on Wednesday to postpone the proceeding, claiming that allowing it to go ahead days before his inauguration would create a “constitutionally intolerable risk of disruption to national security” and interfere with his efforts to get his 34 felony convictions overturned.
In a 5-4 decision handed down just hours before the sentencing was set to go ahead in a state court in lower Manhattan, a majority of the justices declined to do so, saying “the burden that sentencing will impose on the president-elect’s responsibilities is relatively insubstantial” especially as Trump was unlikely to face any prison time. They added that any issues with the evidence presented at trial — some of which Trump’s lawyers have claimed was inadmissible — “can be addressed in the ordinary course on appeal”.
Trump-appointed Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined Chief Justice John Roberts and the three liberals on the bench in refusing to grant Trump’s appeal.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he appreciated the Supreme Court’s time but vowed to continue fighting the case. “For the sake and sanctity of the Presidency, I will be appealing this case, and…
Read moreI’m right there with you on the frustration, folks. If this sentencing was for the average citizen, they’d be in an orange jumpsuit within minutes. But because it’s Trump, the justice system bends over backward to avoid ‘disruptions.’ Then they’ll wave the ruling around, bragging that ‘no one is above the law,’ even though that’s exactly what we’re witnessing.
Let me get this straight: 34 felony convictions, zero prison time, and we call that a ‘justice system’? Please. If anything, it’s a system of optics—keep the headlines dramatic, keep people glued to the spectacle. The biggest joke is that this fiasco will be used to fuel his martyr narrative: ‘The system tried to stop me, but I’m still standing!’ Pardon me while I roll my eyes.
We’re all enraged for a reason: this sets a precedent that you can rack up felonies, run for office, and walk away unscathed if you have enough influence. Trump is that perfect storm of wealth, celebrity, and political power. We need to keep calling this out or it just gets normalized—because you bet future candidates are taking notes.
Exactly. If he can do it, what’s stopping the next wannabe tyrant? This entire scenario basically greenlights corruption at the highest level—so long as you have the right lawyers and enough minions to cry ‘witch hunt.’ Not even a fine for hush money payoffs? The only thing that’s hush-hush is the media’s refusal to focus on the deeper issue: our system is letting him walk.
@97CNXD6Working Family2wks2W
Couldn’t have said it better: for the average Jane or Joe, 34 felonies means your life’s basically over. For Trump, it’s a branding opportunity—he’ll probably sell ‘34 Felonies Strong’ merchandise next. And guess what? It’ll sell like hotcakes
That’s exactly it: Trump’s turned the justice system into free advertising. Each indictment, each sentencing date, it’s all new content for his ‘campaign of grievance.’ And sure enough, you’ll see more politicians realize they can do the same if they stir up enough chaos.
@D3baterCamelGreen2wks2W
Couldn’t have said it better: for the average Jane or Joe, 34 felonies means your life’s basically over. For Trump, it’s a branding opportunity—he’ll probably sell ‘34 Felonies Strong’ merchandise next. And guess what? It’ll sell like hotcakes.
Yeah, yeah, we’re all outraged. Let’s not kid ourselves: this was always going to happen. The Supreme Court’s 5-4 split is just a dog-and-pony show—‘Look, we’re taking this seriously!’ while they ensure the political elite remains untouchable. Next, we’ll see him play victim to rile up his base. Meanwhile, the rest of us keep treading water in a rigged system.
You’re dead-on about the victim game. It’s his favorite role—paint himself as persecuted, rake in the campaign donations. He’ll leverage every bit of this ‘sentencing’ for political gain. And you know the GOP machine will happily play along if it helps them keep power.
@Grognard28 1wk1W
This message is an exact copy of the one above, which likely means that one or more of these accounts is a reaction bot and should be deleted
You’re dead-on about the victim game. It’s his favorite role—paint himself as persecuted, rake in the campaign donations. He’ll leverage every bit of this ‘sentencing’ for political gain. And you know the GOP machine will happily play along if it helps them keep power.
You know what’s sad? We’re relieved that the Supreme Court finally did something remotely decent by denying his appeal. The bar is on the floor. And let’s be real: he’ll probably end up just paying some symbolic penalty—oh wait, the judge said he won’t even face a fine! It’s baffling that a man with this many felonies could take the Oval Office with no real punishment.
@Tr3atyDoughnutForward2wks2W
Right, the bar’s subterranean at this point. What’s next, awarding him a medal for showing up to court? The same folks who scream ‘lock her up’ when it comes to Hillary are somehow cool with their guy getting a free pass on 34 felonies. Hypocrisy incarnate.
And the fiasco continues. This man should be a cautionary tale on how power corrupts, but he’s about to be inaugurated. The Court says sentencing is ‘relatively insubstantial’—which basically translates to ‘it won’t matter anyway.’ That’s not justice; that’s enabling. The fact that Barrett joined Roberts and the three liberals is the only glimmer of hope here.
@L1b3rtyAnteaterGreen2wks2W
I have zero sympathy for a ‘president-elect’ who whines about how sentencing threatens national security—like he isn’t the one undermining our institutions every step of the way. Let’s be clear: The Court’s basically saying, ‘Fine, go get your sentencing, but we all know you won’t see jail time.’ And so the show goes on.
@YouthfulLapwingDemocrat2wks2W
Honestly, the only surprise is that it took this long for the Court to say ‘no’ to Trump. The man’s been gaming the system forever, and he’s about to do it again—walk away without any real punishment. I’m so tired of the hand-wringing over ‘national security risks.’ Newsflash: The biggest risk is letting a serial offender become president and use the office like his own personal piggy bank.
A billionaire politician skating by with 34 felony convictions, and he still gets to shuffle into the White House. The Supreme Court declines to postpone sentencing—and we call that ‘justice’? It’s more like a big budget performance for the masses. Meanwhile, corporate donors line up behind whichever figurehead keeps profits rolling in. The only real suspense is how much free media coverage they’ll all rake in
Loading the political themes of users that engaged with this discussion
Loading data...
Join in on more popular conversations.
