Was Donald Trump convicted of rape

1. What the jury actually decided: sexual abuse and defamation, not a criminal conviction

In the 2023 New York civil trial brought by E. Jean Carroll, a jury concluded by the civil standard of proof that Trump sexually abused Carroll and later defamed her; the jury did not find him liable for rape under the specific New York statutory wording the judge gave them ^{[1] [5]}. That civil verdict resulted in monetary damages, not a criminal conviction; civil liability and criminal guilt are different legal outcomes with different standards of proof and consequences ^[6].

2. Why headlines and public language have been confused

Reporters, commentators and some public figures sometimes used shorthand — calling the episode a “rape” or stating Trump was “convicted” of sexual wrongdoing — which conflated the civil finding with a criminal conviction; fact-checkers and mainstream outlets clarified the trial was civil and did not produce a criminal rape conviction ^{[6] [2]}. ABC News settled a defamation suit after an on-air anchor wrongly claimed Trump had been found “liable for rape,” and a judge flagged that the jury had not found rape “within the narrow, technical meaning” of the New York law applied ^[5].

3. The legal technicalities that matter

Judge Lewis Kaplan instructed jurors about multiple possible battery findings under New York law — including rape as narrowly defined at that time, sexual abuse, and forcible touching — and the jury answered questions that led to liability for sexual abuse rather than the statutory definition of rape used in the verdict form ^{[3] [1]}. Legal scholars told media that civil liability does not establish criminal guilt and that the jury’s decision on civil battery does not prove what a criminal jury would require beyond a reasonable doubt ^[6].

4. Appeals and continuing litigation — context through 2025

The Carroll judgment was appealed and the $5 million award was upheld by appellate courts as of late 2024 and mid‑2025, and Trump’s legal team sought further review, including asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear an appeal in November 2025 ^{[4] [3] [2]}. Available sources do not say that a new criminal rape prosecution or criminal conviction for rape resulted from Carroll’s civil case (not found in current reporting).

5. How different outlets and timelines framed the story

PBS, Newsweek, Reuters and other outlets reported the jury’s civil finding of sexual abuse and defamation and explicitly noted the jury did not find rape under the instruction it was given; Newsweek and other fact-checkers emphasized that there was no criminal conviction in that case ^{[1] [6] [2]}. Wikipedia and timelines summarizing Trump’s allegations list the Carroll verdict as civil liability for sexual abuse and defamation and note appellate decisions and later legal filings through 2024–2025 ^{[4] [3]}.

6. Competing viewpoints and implicit agendas to watch

Proponents of Carroll’s account and many outlets framed the verdict as validation of a pattern of alleged misconduct; supporters of Trump and some commentators disputed the findings or emphasized legal technicalities and appeals ^{[4] [2]}. Media mistakes and hyperbolic social posts amplified confusion; outlets that misreported the verdict later faced legal or reputational consequences, which shows both the political heat around the case and incentives that can distort shorthand coverage ^{[5] [6]}.

7. Bottom line for your original question — “Was Donald Trump convicted of rape?”

Available reporting shows Donald Trump was not criminally convicted of rape in connection with the E. Jean Carroll case; he was found civilly liable for sexual abuse and defamation in 2023, and jurors did not find him liable for rape under the specific New York legal instruction in that civil trial ^{[1] [5] [6]}. If you are asking about any other allegations or cases, available sources do not mention a criminal rape conviction beyond this civil matter (not found in current reporting).