Has Donald Trump been convicted at the federal level and what were the charges?
Executive summary
Donald Trump has been convicted at the state (New York) level on 34 felony counts of first‑degree falsifying business records related to a 2016 hush‑money payment; that conviction was reached May 30, 2024, and he was later given an unconditional discharge at sentencing on January 10, 2025 [1] [2]. Available sources show federal indictments against Trump — including a 37‑count classified‑documents indictment and an election‑interference indictment — were pursued, paused, or later dropped or not prosecuted, but they do not show a surviving federal conviction in the provided reporting [3] [4] [5].
1. What he was convicted of: New York hush‑money verdict, not a federal jury
A Manhattan jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree for conduct tied to payments to an adult‑film actor to conceal an alleged affair; that verdict came on May 30, 2024 [1]. The case was prosecuted in New York state court, not in federal court, and the conviction was the first criminal felony conviction of a former U.S. president in American history as reported in the sources [1].
2. Sentencing outcome: unconditional discharge — what that means in reporting
At his January 10, 2025 sentencing hearing, courts issued an unconditional discharge for the New York conviction, meaning the sources report he did not receive fines, incarceration, or other penal sanctions despite the guilty verdict [2]. The reporting notes the judge postponed sentencing several times and rejected immunity arguments, paving the way for the discharge ruling [2].
3. Federal cases: indictments existed but federal convictions are not reported here
Separate federal prosecutions were brought against Trump in 2023–2025, including a June 2023 indictment alleging 37 federal charges over classified documents and another federal indictment related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election, but the sources provided do not record a resulting federal conviction [3] [5]. AP reporting summarizes that since his reelection those federal matters have been dropped, resolved, or otherwise put aside, and that Trump has been challenging efforts to keep the New York case in state court as part of broader appeals [4] [6].
4. Appeals and legal strategy: moving state case into federal court and immunity claims
Trump’s legal team has repeatedly sought to move the New York hush‑money case into federal court, arguing federal‑officer removal and presidential‑immunity theories to erase or relocate the verdict; appeals over venue and immunity were active through 2025 and have been the focus of federal appeals hearings [6]. Sources note federal appeals courts and the Supreme Court were involved in litigation over whether sentencing or venue should proceed, and Trump continued exhausting appeals after the conviction [3] [6].
5. Broader context: pardons, dropped charges and the shifting docket
The federal landscape shifted after Trump’s return to the presidency in January 2025; reporting and compiled lists indicate many federal clemency actions and that some prosecutions were discontinued or not pursued, with the administration’s pardon and commutation activity affecting federally charged individuals [7] [8]. AP reported that by late 2025 the four major criminal cases that once threatened his liberty had been dropped, resolved, or set aside, though Trump continued legal challenges to preserve or erase prior verdicts [4].
6. What the sources do not say — limits of current reporting
Available sources do not mention any federal criminal conviction of Donald Trump. They document federal indictments, appeals, dismissals or pauses in prosecution, and separately document a state felony conviction in New York and its subsequent unconditional discharge [3] [5] [1] [2] [4]. The sources do not provide definitive final outcomes for every federal case in full detail here; they report ongoing litigation, appeals and prosecutorial decisions that changed many cases’ trajectories [6] [4].
7. Competing narratives and possible incentives in coverage
Coverage mixes legal detail with political stakes. Reporting from outlets compiling legal timelines (Ballotpedia, AP, Wikipedia entries in these sources) emphasizes factual milestones — indictments, convictions, appeals [3] [4] [5]. Commentary and legal efforts from Trump’s team emphasize immunity and removal to federal court as a strategy to overturn state outcomes [6]. Readers should note that prosecutorial decisions and presidential clemency actions reported in 2025 introduced political incentives that affected which federal cases proceeded and how they were resolved [7] [8].
If you want, I can assemble a concise timeline of the indictments, convictions, sentencing and appeal filings from these sources so you can see each case side‑by‑side.