Fact check: Donald Trump is not and has never been convicted of sexual assault

1. Summary of the results

1. Summary of the results:

The statement is technically accurate in terms of criminal convictions, but omits crucial legal findings. While Donald Trump has never been criminally convicted of sexual assault, he was found liable for sexual abuse in a civil court case involving E. Jean Carroll, resulting in $5 million in damages in May 2023 and an additional $83.3 million in January 2024.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints:

• The statement fails to acknowledge the important distinction between criminal and civil proceedings. Civil cases use a lower burden of proof ("preponderance of evidence") compared to criminal cases ("beyond reasonable doubt")
• The jury specifically found Trump liable for sexual abuse but not rape in the Carroll case
• At least 26 women have made allegations of sexual misconduct against Trump since the 1970s
• Trump did not testify in the Carroll trial, which was decided by a jury of 6 men and 3 women after approximately 2.5 hours of deliberation

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement:

The statement appears designed to minimize Trump's legal issues by:

• Focusing solely on criminal convictions while ignoring civil liability findings
• Using the specific term "convicted" to create a technically true statement that obscures significant legal findings against Trump
• Omitting the fact that civil liability for sexual abuse has been established in a court of law
• Benefiting Trump's political narrative and presidential campaign by allowing supporters to claim he has never been found guilty of sexual misconduct, when in fact he has been found liable in civil court