No, Trump's 'Unconditional Discharge' Sentence Does Not Mean He Was 'Exonerated'

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is set to be the first sitting felon president when he takes office on Jan. 21, 2025. However, he won't face penalties for any of the 34 felony counts of falsifying business records he was found guilty of in May 2024. Trump's sentence, which Judge Juan Merchan announced on Jan. 10, 2025, created quite an uproar on social media.

The sentence, an "unconditional discharge," is rare in New York courts, according to The New York Times. But some conservative pundits and politicians on social media incorrectly announced that "unconditional discharge" meant he had been "totally exonerated."

Link to tweet

According to New York State law, an unconditional discharge means that Trump will have the felonies on his official record but will not face jail time, fines or probation for his actions. However, it does not mean that the President-elect has been exonerated, since that would mean finding he was not guilty of a crime.

Trump was found guilty on 34 counts of falsified business records for hush money payments made to pornstar Stormy Daniels in May 2024, meaning felonies would be added to his record no matter what sentence Merchan handed him. The jury's decision would have to be successfully appealed in order for Trump to be considered "exonerated."

https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/01/10/trump-unconditional-discharge-sentencing/