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Has Donald Trump been convicted of any crimes in U.S. courts as of November 15, 2025?
Executive summary
As of November 15, 2025, available reporting shows Donald Trump was convicted in New York on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in May 2024 and that Judge Juan Merchan imposed an unconditional discharge at sentencing on January 10, 2025 — a sentence that leaves the conviction on the record but imposed no jail time, fines, or further penalties [1] [2] [3]. Multiple outlets report he is appealing and that other prosecutions around the country have been paused, challenged, or reassigned; the federal government and courts have continued to review whether immunity or federal preemption affects the New York conviction [4] [5] [6] [7].
1. The core fact: a 2024 New York felony conviction still on the books
A Manhattan jury found Trump guilty on May 30, 2024, of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to payments tied to Stormy Daniels; that guilty verdict is repeatedly reported and remains part of the public record [1] [3]. The sentencing judge later issued an unconditional discharge — meaning the court affirmed the conviction but imposed no punishment — at a January 10, 2025, hearing [2] [3].
2. What “unconditional discharge” means in practice
News outlets and legal summaries state the unconditional discharge left Trump a convicted felon on the books while avoiding imprisonment, fines or other penalties; PBS explained the discharge “affirms he is a convicted felon, but one where he will face no further penalties, fines or any time in jail” [2]. Local reporting and court notices likewise describe the sentence as the lightest available under New York law [6].
3. Appeals, immunity questions and federal involvement — competing legal arguments
Trump’s legal team has appealed the New York conviction and argued the trial was “fatally marred” by admission of evidence they say the Supreme Court’s presidential-immunity ruling should have barred; multiple outlets cover these appeals and arguments [4] [7]. The U.S. Department of Justice filed a friend-of-the-court brief urging the New York conviction be thrown out on grounds that federal law and improper evidence preempted the state theory — a position Reuters reported on November 7, 2025 [5]. Courts have sent portions of the case back for renewed review about whether it should have been heard in federal court after the Supreme Court’s 2024 immunity decision [7].
4. Other criminal matters — paused, reassigned, or dropped
Reporting indicates other prosecutions connected to Trump were paused, had prosecutorial conflicts, or were otherwise in flux: Georgia election-related charges were paused while questions about the prosecutor were litigated, Fani Willis was disqualified from prosecuting that case by the Georgia Court of Appeals in December, and by November 2025 another prosecutor — Pete Skandalakis — said he would continue prosecution after difficulty finding someone else willing to take it [1]. The Office of Special Counsel wound down certain matters after Trump’s 2024 election, citing Department of Justice policy against prosecuting a sitting president [1].
5. How different outlets frame the political context
Coverage varies by outlet: some emphasize the unprecedented nature of a former president being convicted (encyclopedic and news summaries note it as a first) and the legal novelty of immunity arguments [3] [8]; others highlight the DOJ’s intervention and the broader legal-political stakes, including how the conviction played in the 2024 election and subsequent administration actions [9] [10]. Readers should note outlets may foreground either legal doctrine or political consequences depending on editorial focus [4] [10].
6. Limits of the current reporting and what is not in these sources
Available sources in this packet do not provide the final outcome of appellate review as of November 15, 2025 — they show appeals are pending and that higher courts have ordered additional review, but they do not report a definitive reversal or upholding by an appellate court that would change the conviction’s status [4] [7]. Available sources do not mention any additional new felony convictions entered against Trump in U.S. courts beyond the May 2024 New York verdict [1] [3].
Conclusion: The settled, well-documented fact in these sources is that Trump has a New York felony conviction from May 30, 2024, which remains on the record despite an unconditional discharge imposed on January 10, 2025; that conviction is the subject of active appeals and federal filings challenging its validity, and other related prosecutions have seen pauses, reassignment, or DOJ involvement [1] [2] [5] [7].