What criminal charges has Donald Trump faced and what were the outcomes?
Executive summary
Donald Trump has faced four major criminal prosecution tracks since 2023: a New York state “hush‑money” case that produced a 2024 conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records and an unconditional discharge in January 2025; two federal prosecutions (one on classified documents in Florida and one on 2020 election certification in D.C.) that Special Counsel Jack Smith dropped after Trump’s 2024 victory; and a Georgia state racketeering/election‑interference case that was dismissed or the charges dropped in late November 2025, ending the last active criminal matter against him [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]. Coverage varies on technical details and timing across outlets [6] [7].
1. The New York “hush‑money” trial: conviction, sentencing outcome, and appeals
Prosecutors in New York charged Trump in connection with alleged payments to Stormy Daniels; a Manhattan jury in 2024 convicted him on 34 counts of first‑degree falsifying business records after a six‑week trial that began April 15, 2024, and ended with guilty verdicts on May 30, 2024; the judge later issued an unconditional discharge on January 10, 2025, meaning he received no further punishment at that time, and news outlets report ongoing appeals and legal maneuvers concerning that conviction [1] [2] [8].
2. The federal election‑certification case in D.C.: indictment, pause, and dismissal
A federal grand jury in August 2023 returned an indictment centering on efforts to overturn the 2020 certification; that case included four counts alleging conspiracies to defraud the United States and obstruct the official proceeding. Special Counsel Jack Smith moved to dismiss the federal case without prejudice after Trump’s 2024 election, citing longstanding DOJ policy that a sitting president should not be criminally prosecuted—Smith’s filing said the office still “stands fully behind” the merits of its work [8] [3] [6].
3. The Mar‑a‑Lago classified‑documents prosecution: charges dropped after reelection
Smith also led a separate prosecution alleging unlawful retention of classified documents at Mar‑a‑Lago and obstruction; like the D.C. election case, that federal prosecution was dropped in November 2024 after Trump won the presidency, with Smith seeking dismissal without prejudice so charges could theoretically be refiled after he leaves office [3] [2].
4. Georgia racketeering/election‑interference case: indictment to dismissal
Fulton County prosecutors originally charged Trump and co‑defendants in 2023 with a racketeering‑style scheme to overturn Georgia’s 2020 result, producing the high‑profile booking and mugshot. The prosecution later hit legal obstacles—prosecutor disqualification issues, partial dismissals, and delays—and in late November 2025 a Georgia judge or prosecutor effectively ended the case: Fulton County filings were dismissed and/or the new state prosecutor announced charges would be dropped, which outlets describe as bringing the last criminal case against Trump to a close [4] [5] [7] [1].
5. How reporters count “four criminal cases” and the total charges
News organizations and compendiums (Britannica, Ballotpedia, AP) frame Trump’s situation as four separate criminal tracks filed 2023–2024 (New York state, D.C. federal, Florida federal, Georgia state) and note that across those indictments he faced dozens of individual counts—sources cite 34 convictions in New York and total counts across all indictments that reached into the dozens or higher—but the status of each differed after his 2024 election victory, with federal cases paused or dropped and one state case dismissed in late 2025 [8] [1] [6] [9].
6. Legal consequences vs. practical outcomes: convictions, discharges, and “without prejudice” drops
The New York conviction was the only jury guilty verdict; however, the court later entered an unconditional discharge, sparing Trump any further immediate punishment [1] [2]. The federal cases were dismissed “without prejudice” by Smith so they could, in theory, be refiled after Trump leaves office—legal observers note practical hurdles such as statutes of limitations and immunity questions if prosecutors attempt that [3]. The Georgia charges were dropped by a state prosecutor in November 2025, and reporting portrays that as the end of active criminal prosecutions against the president [5] [4].
7. Competing perspectives and open questions
Prosecutors and outlets like Forbes and AP emphasize that dismissal of federal cases was driven by DOJ policy on charging a sitting president and procedural decisions rather than an evaluation that the evidence was lacking [3] [6]. Other reporting underscores procedural and prosecutorial problems—disqualifications and courtroom setbacks—that complicated the Georgia matter and affected prospects for conviction even before the ultimate dismissal [1] [7]. Available sources do not mention whether any additional criminal charges were filed beyond these four tracks; they also document continuing appellate fights, post‑trial filings, and differing legal strategies among prosecutors and Trump’s defense [8] [1] [2].
8. Bottom line for readers
As of late November 2025, the factual record in major outlets shows one jury conviction (34 counts in New York) that was followed by an unconditional discharge, two federal prosecutions that Special Counsel Smith dismissed after Trump’s 2024 election (left “without prejudice”), and the Georgia racketeering/election case dropped or dismissed in November 2025—together leaving no active criminal prosecutions against the president according to current reporting [1] [3] [5] [4].