NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — In a significant legal and political development, the sentencing of former US President Donald Trump in his New York hush money trial has been postponed until after November’s presidential election. A win for the Republican candidate, Trump, who is in a tightly contested race against Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris, can now focus his efforts entirely on the campaign trail.
Scheduled initially for September 18, Trump’s sentencing for falsifying business records related to a scheme to silence a porn star’s politically damaging story, has now been delayed to November 26 by Judge Juan Merchan. The delay comes in response to a request from Trump’s legal team.
“This is not a decision this Court makes lightly but it is the decision which in this Court’s view, best advances the interests of justice,” Judge Merchan stated in his ruling.
Trump was convicted in May on 34 counts of doctoring business records to cover up hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, aimed at preventing her from revealing an alleged sexual encounter on the eve of the 2016 election cycle. His original sentencing date was moved from July 11 following a ruling by the United States Supreme Court, which stated that a former president has broad immunity from criminal prosecutions.
Subsequently, Trump’s lawyers have called for his New York conviction to be dismissed in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling. Judge Merchan indicated that he would render a decision on this dismissal motion on November 12—mere days after the November 5 election.
This legal reprieve comes at a crucial juncture for Trump as the race for the White House intensifies. Trump and Harris are slated to participate in their first televised debate next Tuesday, a pivotal moment for both campaigns. Despite the high stakes, Trump used a press conference at Trump Tower in New York City to address his various legal issues, including accusations of sexual harassment and assault from multiple women—a detour from discussing policy issues such as immigration and the economy.
“This is not the kind of publicity you like,” Trump remarked from the lobby of Trump Tower. Despite the awkward optics, he spent an hour, unprompted, reminding voters of his legal battles, including accusations by writer E Jean Carroll.
The timing of the legal developments coincided with the symbolic start of the voting process, as North Carolina prepared to send out around 130,000 absentee ballots, marking the beginning of the mail-in voting period. However, a state appeals court put a hold on the process following a lawsuit from independent candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has since dropped out and endorsed Trump.
North Carolina, a crucial swing state, is one of several battlegrounds where Harris and Trump have been actively campaigning. As other states prepare to commence early in-person and mail-in voting, the race is expected to come down to the wire with razor-thin margins.
Trump is expected to continue his campaign efforts with scheduled remarks in North Carolina later Friday, navigating the confluence of legal battles and political maneuvering as November looms just around the corner.
