USA Trump punishment to be announced only after US election

In the New York trial over hush money payments by former President Donald Trump, the sentence will not be announced until after the presidential election. Judge Juan Merchan set the new date for November 26 following a request by Trump, according to court documents. The sentence had previously been expected to be set for September 18.

Trump had argued that a decision on the sentence just a few weeks before the election on November 5 could affect the integrity of the vote.

In addition, the 78-year-old's lawyers wrote that an expected decision by the judge on a further motion regarding Trump's alleged immunity would allow too little time for an appeal.

Merchan had originally set this decision for September 16 - two days before the sentencing was announced. Merchan has now set November 12 as the new date for this decision.

Prison in the worst case scenario

The delay means that Americans are likely to go to the polls at the beginning of November without knowing whether Trump, who has already been found guilty, will go to prison or not. In the event of his victory over Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, the sentencing could also be further delayed. In the worst case scenario, Trump could face several years in prison. However, some observers believe that a suspended sentence is more likely.

A jury in New York found the ex-president guilty on 34 charges at the end of May. The trial concerned the illegal concealment of hush money payments to a porn actress in order to gain advantages during the 2016 election campaign. It was the first time in the history of the United States that a former president was convicted of a criminal offense.

Landmark Supreme Court decision as a lever

Trump has thus managed to delay a sentence that could potentially damage him in the election. He had previously achieved something similar on the basis of a success before the US Supreme Court: the highest US court had recently ruled that although Trump does not enjoy complete immunity for actions during his time as president, the protection from prosecution is very extensive. This also had an impact on other ongoing proceedings against Trump.

However, the New York hush money case is different and primarily revolves around Trump's actions as a presidential candidate before the 2016 election. Trump had already failed here in the past by arguing that the case concerned his presidency.

SDA