Donald Trump Praises Two Words in Judge Merchan’s Decision

Donald Trump said he appreciates two words included in Judge Juan Merchan’s decision on Friday to postpone the former president’s sentencing for his hush money conviction until after the 2024 election.
Merchan said in the four-page decision that the sentencing, which was scheduled to take place later this month, will be postponed until November 26—three weeks after voters cast their ballots for the next president of the United States.
The judge, who Trump has accused of being impartial to prosecutors, wrote that the former president’s guilty verdict in Manhattan this past spring “is one that stands alone, in a unique place in this Nation’s history,” and added that he delayed Trump’s sentencing “to avoid any appearance—however unwarranted—that the proceeding has been affected by or seeks to affect the approaching Presidential election.”
Friday’s decision also set a date for November 12 for the judge to rule on how the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling this summer impacts Trump’s conviction. The former president’s team has motioned to dismiss the guilty verdict entirely after justices found that presidents are immune from facing criminal charges for actions they took within their official duties.
Merchan wrote on Friday that if Trump’s motion to dismiss is denied on November 12, “the law requires the imposition of sentencing following a guilty verdict without unreasonable delay.”
“The public’s confidence in the integrity of our judicial system demands a sentencing hearing that is entirely focused on the verdict of the jury and the weighing of aggravating and mitigating factors free from distraction or distortion,” the judge continued, highlighting the rising distrust in America’s court systems in recent years.
In the same vein, Merchan added that “if one is necessary, the Defendant has the right to a sentencing hearing that respects and protects his constitutional rights.”
Trump reacted to Merchan’s decision in a post to his Truth Social account Friday afternoon, writing, “The Manhattan D.A. Witch Hunt has been postponed because everyone realizes that there was NO CASE, I DID NOTHING WRONG!” The former pleaded not guilty to all 34 felony counts against him in the case and has repeatedly accused Manhattan prosecutors of attempting to interfere with his reelection campaign.
“It is a political attack against me by Comrade Kamala Harris and other Radical Left Opponents for purposes of Election Interference, and is a case that should have never been brought,” Trump wrote in his post. “Nothing like this has ever happened in the United States of America – IT IS STRICTLY THIRD WORLD, BANANA REPUBLIC ‘STUFF.'”
The former president noted, however, that he “greatly” appreciated the words “if necessary” being used by Merchan in the decision when discussing the sentencing date.
“I greatly appreciate the words ‘if necessary’ being utilized in the Decision, because there should be no ‘if necessary,'” Trump wrote to Truth Social. “This case should be rightfully terminated, as we prepare for the Most Important Election in the History of our Country.”
Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts in May in connection to a $130,000 payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 campaign. Prosecutors presented evidence during the trial that Trump falsified business records to conceal his connection to the payment, which Daniels said was intended to keep her quiet about an affair she had with the former president years prior.
Newsweek reached out to Manhattan District Attorney’s office via email for additional comment Friday.