For years, Donald Trump has inveighed against China, describing it as the root cause of all manner of ills in the United States. He has lamented Washington’s huge trade deficit with Beijing and blames China for hollowing out the American industrial heartland. He has insisted that the COVID-19 pandemic was China’s fault. More recently, he has pinned the U.S. opioid crisis on Beijing, accusing China of “attacking” the United States with fentanyl. China has appeared in Trump’s rallies and press conferences as a monstrous adversary, a foe whom only Trump can subdue.
The New York judge who oversaw President-elect Donald J. Trump’s hush-money trial scheduled his sentencing for Jan. 10. Mr. Trump is expected to appeal his conviction.
By Ben Protess and Kate Christobek
A New York judge on Friday upheld President-elect Donald J. Trump’s felony conviction but signaled that he was inclined to spare him any punishment, a striking development in a case that had spotlighted an array of criminal acts and imperiled the former and future president’s freedom.
The judge, Juan M. Merchan, indicated that he favored a so-called unconditional discharge of Mr. Trump’s sentence, a rare and lenient alternative to jail or probation. He set a sentencing date of Jan. 10, and ordered Mr. Trump to appear either in person or virtually.
An unconditional discharge would cement Mr. Trump’s status as a felon just weeks before his inauguration — he would be the first to carry that dubious designation into the presidency — even as it would water down the consequences for his crimes.
Unlike a conditional discharge, which allows defendants to walk free if they meet certain requirements, such as maintaining employment or paying restitution, an unconditional discharge would come without strings attached.
That sentence, Justice Merchan wrote in an 18-page decision, “appears to be the most viable solution to ensure finality and allow defendant to pursue his appellate options.”
The People of the State of New York v Donald J. Trump Read Document 18 pages