Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

Image source, Getty Images

Would the defendant like to speak? Justice Merchan asks.

Donald Trump says that in fact, he does. For the first time, we hear from Trump during this trial.

He did not testify in his defense, and so now is using this opportunity to relitigate the case - which is already over.

Trump says "this has been a very terrible experience" and begins to list his issues with the facts and charges involved.

He says that the case was brought to stop him from winning re-election and is saying that he won the 2024 election both in the popular vote and in the electoral college.

"The fact is that I’m totally innocent, I did nothing wrong," Trump says rapidly.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Image source, Reuters

Todd Blanche has just begun to speak on behalf of Donald Trump, saying he “very much disagree[s]” with what the district attorney’s office has said. He is sitting next to Trump and they are on a video feed, shown in the courtroom.

Trump’s lawyer repeats an argument we heard from him for much of the trial, arguing charges should never have been brought in the first place.

“There’s many, many legal experts that share the same views that I just said - which is that legally this case should not have been brought,” Blanche says, noting that they plan to appeal the conviction.

“The majority of the American people also agree,” he says.

“It’s a sad day for President Trump and his family and friends,” Blanche says. It’s also a “sad day for this country”, he says.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass also tells the court that Donald Trump's attacks on the court and the criminal justice system had an impact far beyond this courtroom.

Trump caused "enduring damage to public perception of the criminal justice system," Steinglass says. He also notes that members of the court and prosecutors' staff were subjected to threats.

However, because Trump will be inaugurated in 10 days, Steinglass says that his office acknowledges the need to close the book on this case.

“The American public has a right to a presidency unencumbered by pending court proceedings," he says.

But, he also notes, completing the sentencing will formalise Trump's status as a convicted felon.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Image source, Getty Images

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass is spending much of his statement condemning Donald Trump’s behaviour “before, during and after” the trial.

Trump, Steinglass says, launched a “coordinated campaign to undermine” the legitimacy of the trial.

“He has purposely bred disdain for our judicial institutions and the rule of law,” Steinglass adds.

The assistant district attorney references some of Trump’s many speeches during and outside of the trial, which he frequently called a “witch hunt”, arguing the district attorney’s office was “corrupt”.

Steinglass also references Trump breaking a gag order on multiple occasions that prevented him from speaking about certain witnesses and court staff.

For much of Steinglass's speech, Trump is looking down, expressionless.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

Both parties will have a chance to address court before Justice Merchan issues his sentence.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass is speaking to the court first.

"The people recommend a sentence of an unconditional discharge," he tells Merchan - in line with what the judge himself has indicated he will do.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Image source, Reuters

Justice Juan Merchan has now taken his seat and the hearing has begun.

Trump appears stonyfaced as he sits alongside his lawyer, the same expression he had for much of the eight-week trial against him. The hearing begins with some procedural matters.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

Donald Trump is now here - virtually, that is. He and his lawyer, Todd Blanche, have just popped up on a video feed at the defence table.

The two men sit side by side, with prominent American flags forming the backdrop of the shot.

They shift their gaze from the camera lens to each other as they wait for the sentencing to begin.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg - the one who brought the case against Trump that led to his conviction - is now here.

Wearing a gray striped suit, he has just taken a seat in the row in front of me, alongside his team.

Things are about to begin. Stick with us.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

The hearing is about to begin.

Emil Bove, one of Trump's lawyers, is also here now.

And prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney's office have just entered the courtroom.

Today's hearing was a major win for their office - they successfully persuaded the US Supreme Court to reject Trump's petition to stay the sentencing and grant him immunity from criminal proceedings before he takes office.

Is it really the end of this case? Probably not - appeals are loomingpublished at 14:25 Greenwich Mean Time

14:25 GMT

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

Donald Trump’s hush money case will reach another historic milestone today. It was the only criminal indictment that resulted in a guilty verdict.

It was, in fact, the only of his multiple criminal cases to even reach trial. Now, Trump will receive his sentence – even if that sentence, as predicted, involves no punishment at all.

The conviction will still be a black mark on the once and future president. His status as the first president with a felony conviction will be a noteworthy fact as he takes his oath of office.

But it is also not the final word in this case. Although the US Supreme Court slammed the door last night on a last-minute request to block Trump’s sentencing, the slim majority of justices noted that the president-elect still has an “ordinary” appeals process to follow.

Rest assured Trump, and his lawyers, will keep fighting this conviction until every possible recourse is exhausted.

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from court

The sentencing here in Manhattan’s criminal court marks the culmination of a historic criminal case, the first one ever brought against a former or sitting US President.

But there’s very much a sense that it’s ending in a whimper, rather than with a bang.

During the trial, which played out in the middle of Trump’s successful presidential campaign, the big questions were whether the case would be consequential in both holding Donald Trump to account and impacting his chances at retaking the White House.

Today, the answers to those questions are debatable. Did the case actually help Donald Trump win the election? What will the jury and Americans make of the sentence?

Trump will enter the White House as a felon, but will almost certainly not face punishment. And the other criminal cases against him have all but vanished.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Judge Juan Merchan has indicated already that he will not sentence Trump to time behind bars, a monetary fine or probation.

There are several reasons for this, says former Brooklyn prosecutor Julie Rendelman.

For one, a first-time offender of Trump’s age - 78 - would likely not have faced jail time for the same conviction.

Trump is also in the unique situation of being the president-elect.

“What [Merchan] is basically saying is 'He's convicted, I’m balancing his need to be the president with the jury's decision in finding him guilty.' And he recognises that a jail sentence would not be appropriate based on that,” Rendelman says.

“A conviction in and of itself can be viewed as a form of punishment.”

Image source, Reuters

Outside the court house in Manhattan, where Trump's sentence will be announced shortly, two groups of people carry very different messages.

On one side are Trump's loyal supporters, with banners and posters in the president-elect's favour.

On the other is a small protest against him, with signs reading "liar" and "justice matters".

There are far fewer demonstrators than we saw during the trial, but that could also be down to the weather in New York today - it's currently -1C (31F) with very frosty gusts of wind.

Image source, Reuters

Prosecutors have said Trump will be appearing virtually at the sentencing hearing.

Though the president-elect came to every day of his trial in person in New York City, Justice Juan Merchan said he could appear via video this time for the hearing in lower Manhattan.

Trump's team has not confirmed if he will be watching via video or will be there in person.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Good morning from inside the Manhattan criminal court.

My colleague Kayla Epstein and I are just taking our seats in the main courtroom amongst rows of other reporters.

It's a familiar room for us - we spent two months here in April and May. They were long and dramatic days in court for the first-ever criminal trial of a former president.

Now, more than seven months later, we are finally seeing the ending, Trump's sentencing. And now he is not only a former president, he is the president-elect.

Unlike during the trial, Trump is expected to appear virtually today as Justice Juan Merchan reads him his sentencing.

A reminder that he will likely not be sentenced to any jail time, fine or probation. We'll keep you updated as the hearing begins.

It's scheduled to start about 30 minutes from now.

Last May, Donald Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

A jury of New Yorkers found him guilty of all counts in connection with a hush-money payment made to an adult-film star.

The case centred on a payment made to the adult-film actress, Stormy Daniels, shortly before the 2016 election.

Daniels was paid $130,000 (£105,000) to keep quiet about her claim that she had sex with Trump, which he denies they did.

Providing so-called hush-money is not illegal. Instead, this case was more technical and centred on how Trump's former lawyer, who paid Daniels, had his reimbursement recorded as legal fees in Trump's accounts.

Image source, Reuters

Though Donald Trump theoretically could have faced prison time for his felony conviction, Justice Juan Merchan has already indicated he will not sentence the president-elect to time behind bars.

In a legal filing setting the 10 January sentencing date, Merchan said he would likely give Trump an "unconditional discharge" - meaning no jail time, monetary fine, or probation - calling it "the most viable solution” in such an unprecedented situation.

Neither a former president nor a president-elect has ever been convicted of a felony.

As we've been reporting, last night the Supreme Court rejected President-elect Donald Trump's petition to delay the sentencing of this case.

Trump responded to the decision on his social media platform Truth Social. He maintains he is innocent and claims the charges are "fake".

Trump claims the New York case was "nothing other than Weaponization of our Justice System against a Political Opponent".

Regarding the Supreme Court, he says: "I appreciate the time and effort of the United States Supreme Court in trying to remedy the great injustice done to me".

Two of the Supreme Court's conservative justices - John Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett - joined the three liberal justices to deny Trump's request for a delay.

The remaining four judges - Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh - would have allowed Trump's bid to postpone sentencing.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

The sentencing hearing will likely be much less dramatic than Donald Trump’s days in court during the trial, which was filled with star witnesses and enemies from his past.

During the proceedings, both sides get the opportunity to speak. That includes president-elect Trump, former Brooklyn prosecutor Julie Rendelman says.

Then, she says, the judge will speak and render his sentencing decision.

She expects Justice Juan Merchan to use the time to share his thoughts on Trump’s conviction and behaviour during the trial.

For context, Trump was slapped with a gag-order during the trial, and was fined for breaching it.

“I think he (Merchan) is going to speak, but he's always pretty even-tempered. So, I think he's going to just talk about what came before him,” Rendelman says.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

Image source, Kayla Epstein / BBC

Good morning, for the last time (for this case), from the Manhattan criminal court.

Today the Trump hush money trial reaches its conclusion as Justice Juan Merchan is set to issue a sentence. He has said he would not sentence Trump to any jail time.

Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts last May, but his lawyers won a series of delays. The attorneys tried to get the US Supreme Court to intervene and stay the sentencing, but they rejected Trump’s petition last night.

Things are calm outside - far fewer reporters are lined up outside the courthouse than there were at the peak of the trial.

Perhaps it’s because we currently anticipate Trump will appear virtually, as prosecutors have said in court filings.