How many criminal charges has Donald Trump faced tied to his presidency?

1. Four major prosecutions — the headline frame

By late 2024/early 2025 most summaries grouped Trump’s criminal exposure into four principal criminal matters: a New York state hush‑money indictment (34 counts of falsifying business records), a federal classified‑documents case in Florida, a federal Jan. 6/effort‑to‑overturn indictment in D.C., and a Georgia state election‑interference case — together these brought dozens of counts that reporting aggregated as about 88 criminal counts across jurisdictions ^{[1] [4] [6]}.

2. The New York hush‑money case — 34 felony counts and an unusual sentencing outcome

Manhattan prosecutors charged Trump with 34 first‑degree falsifying business records counts tied to payments to Stormy Daniels; a jury convicted on those 34 counts in May 2024, but subsequent court proceedings resulted in an unconditional discharge at sentencing in January 2025, meaning no fine, probation or jail imposed at that hearing ^{[4] [7] [3]}.

3. Federal classified‑documents and obstruction counts — a large federal indictment

A federal grand jury in mid‑2023 returned an indictment related to classified documents and alleged obstruction, which reporting summarized as a multi‑count federal case (often counted around 40 counts in contemporary reporting); that federal investigation was one of the four principal federal matters noted in aggregated tallies ^{[1] [6]}.

4. The D.C. Jan. 6‑related indictment — conspiracy and obstruction counts

In August 2023 Trump was indicted in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on charges tied to efforts to overturn the 2020 election, including counts characterized in some reporting as conspiring to defraud the government, disenfranchise voters, and corruptly obstruct an official proceeding; sources note that the D.C. indictment initially alleged multiple counts and that some counts were later pared or litigated over time ^[4].

5. The Georgia case — state charges over election‑related conduct

Fulton County’s prosecution brought state criminal charges tied to alleged efforts to interfere in Georgia’s 2020 election results; reporting describes an evolving case where counts were amended and some judicial rulings dismissed particular charges, making total counts in that docket fluctuate ^{[1] [4]}.

6. Why simple tallies vary — superseding indictments, dismissals, and policy changes

Counting “how many criminal charges tied to his presidency” depends on methodology: do you total every count in each indictment as of a single date (Ballotpedia and People compiled totals near 88), or do you count only unresolved counts, convictions, or counts remaining after dismissals and superseding indictments? Sources show counts were added, superseded, dismissed, or dropped at different stages — for example, some counts in Georgia and federal matters were dismissed or paused while legal issues were litigated ^{[1] [4]}.

7. The effect of presidential status and DOJ policy on prosecutions

Reporting shows later developments affected prosecutions: a Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity and Justice Department policy about indicting a sitting president influenced whether certain charges proceeded while Trump held or sought office; some charges or prosecutorial decisions were revisited or dropped as a result ^{[5] [8]}. One source notes Special Counsel Jack Smith dropped certain charges citing policy against indicting a sitting president ^[8].

8. What authoritative summaries say — commonly cited totals and limitations

Compilations like Ballotpedia and media explainers commonly cited an aggregate of about 88 criminal counts across the four major indictments ^{[1] [6]}. Wikipedia and reporting document the 34‑count New York conviction and reference other indictments and count changes, but they vary on which counts remained active or were dismissed at specific dates ^{[4] [7]}.

9. Bottom line for readers seeking a single number

Available reporting does not yield a single uncontested final number because counts moved: multiple outlets compiled roughly 88 criminal counts across four major matters, with a confirmed 34‑count New York conviction later discharged at sentencing — but dismissals, superseding indictments and policy or court rulings changed the count totals over time ^{[1] [4] [3]}. If you need a precise, date‑specific tally (e.g., counts active as of X date), say which date you want and I will extract the counts reported then from these sources.