(UPDATE) NEW YORK — Sentencing for Donald Trump in his New York hush money trial was delayed on Friday until after the November presidential election, a win for the Republican nominee as he battles Democratic rival Kamala Harris in the knife-edge White House race. The former United States president had been scheduled to be sentenced on September 18 for falsifying business records in a scheme to silence a porn star's politically damaging story. But Judge Juan Merchan postponed it to November 26 — three weeks after the November 5 poll, as requested by Trump's lawyers. "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," he wrote. The postponement comes as Trump and Harris prepare to face off on the debate stage next Tuesday in the already extraordinary White House race. Trump welcomed the sentencing delay, taking to his Truth Social platform to blast the case as a "witch hunt." "This case should be rightfully terminated," he said. 'Politically prejudicial' Trump, 78, was convicted in May of 34 counts of doctoring business records to cover up hush money payments to porn actor Stormy Daniels to stop her from disclosing an alleged sexual encounter ahead of the 2016 election. The twice-impeached ex-president was originally scheduled to be sentenced on July 11. That was delayed after the US Supreme Court ruled a former president has broad immunity from criminal prosecutions. Trump's lawyers asked that his New York conviction be dismissed following the Supreme Court immunity ruling. Merchan said he would rule on the dismissal motion on November 12. Merchan noted that Trump had asked for sentencing to be delayed "to avoid the potential 'politically prejudicial' impact that a public sentencing could have on him and his prospects in the upcoming election." Hours earlier, Trump was in New York delivering rambling remarks about his myriad legal problems, as he denied multiple women's accusations of sexual harassment or assault. "This is not the kind of publicity you like," Trump acknowledged at Trump Tower, even as he spent an hour, unprompted, reminding voters of the accusations of sexual assault by various women, including the writer E. Jean Carroll. 'Interference' Trump's detailed remarks on the cases were surprising, given that he needs to win over groups like suburban women in the tight race against Harris, 59, who is aiming to become the nation's first woman president. Trump was in court in New York earlier on Friday over the Carroll case, in which he has been ordered to pay her $5 million in damages for sexual assault and defamation. "I never met her. I never touched her," Trump said, describing the case as "political interference." He later headed to North Carolina, where the convicted felon received the endorsement of the nation's largest law enforcement union, the Fraternal Order of Police, and pledged to "bring back law and order" to the country. Harris, for her part, spoke to a Univision radio station, telling listeners, "we need to turn the page on this Trump era." She earned a key endorsement on Friday — from Republican former vice president Dick Cheney, who said: "There has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump." His daughter Liz Cheney, a conservative former lawmaker, publicly backed Harris this week, joining hundreds of other Republicans who, like her father, have put "country over party," said Harris campaign chairman Jen O'Malley Dillon. Harris' entry into the contest six weeks ago turbocharged enthusiasm among Democrats, who had been despondent about President Joe Biden's chances of defeating Trump. Her team announced on Friday it raised $361 million in August, the largest monthly haul of the cycle and nearly triple Trump's figure.