Do US courts treat Trump fairly? Here’s what Americans said after his NY sentencing

President-elect Donald Trump received no penalty in his criminal “hush money” case, an outcome that has fractured public opinion, according to new polling.

On Jan. 10 — just 10 days before Trump’s inauguration — New York Justice Juan Merchan sentenced Trump to an “unconditional discharge,” meaning he will not face prison time, fees or any other punishment.

The sentencing is the culmination of a yearslong case, in which a jury found Trump guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in an effort to conceal an alleged affair with an adult film actress.

During the sentencing, Merchan noted the unprecedented nature of the case.

“Never before has this court been presented with such a unique and remarkable set of circumstances,” Merchan said, according to NBC News. “Donald Trump, the ordinary citizen, Donald Trump, the criminal defendant, would not be entitled to such considerable protections.”

The president-elect, who appeared virtually from his residence in Florida, maintained his innocence.

“The Radical Democrats have lost another pathetic, unAmerican Witch Hunt,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social following the sentencing. “... Today’s event was a despicable charade, and now that it is over, we will appeal this Hoax, which has no merit, and restore the trust of Americans in our once great System of Justice.”

But what do Americans make of the outcome?

A recent poll by YouGov found the public is fiercely divided over the sentence — and over how Trump is treated by the criminal justice system.

Was Trump’s sentence too harsh or too lenient?

In the poll, conducted on Jan. 10, a plurality of respondents, 39%, said Trump’s sentence was “not harsh enough.”

Meanwhile, 24% said it was “about right,” and 19% said it was “too harsh.” An additional 17% said they were not sure.

Unsurprisingly, the results varied significantly based on partisan affiliation, according to the poll, which sampled 3,761 U.S. adults.

Two-thirds of Democrats said the unconditional discharge was not harsh enough, while 16% said they were about right and just 5% said they were too harsh. Among Republicans, 39% said the sentence was too severe; 37% said it was about right, and 6% said it was not harsh enough.

Did Trump commit the crimes he was convicted of?

Respondents were also asked if they believed Trump had committed the crimes he was convicted of in the case.

Nearly half, 48%, said he had committed the crimes, while 28% said he did not and 25% said they were not sure.

The overwhelming majority of Democrats, 79%, and close to half of independents, 48%, said they thought Trump did perpetrate the crimes. Meanwhile, just 13% of Republicans said the same.

How is Trump treated by the courts?

Finally, respondents were asked how they felt about the way the U.S. criminal justice system has treated Trump.

A plurality, 42%, said they believed the president-elect is treated “more leniently than other people,” while 30% said he is treated “more harshly than other people.” Fourteen percent said he is handled about the same as others, and the same share said they weren’t sure.

Here, again, there was a strong partisan divide.

Two-thirds of Democrats said they believed he is treated more leniently, while just 8% said he is treated more severely. In contrast, 61% of Republicans said they thought he is treated more harshly, and just 11% said he is treated more leniently.

Among independents, 45% said they believed Trump is treated more leniently, while 26% said he is treated more harshly.

This story was originally published January 13, 2025 at 3:19 PM with the headline "Do US courts treat Trump fairly? Here’s what Americans said after his NY sentencing."