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Fact check: How many felony charges has Donald Trump faced in 2024?
Executive Summary
Donald Trump was publicly reported to face either 91 felony counts or 88 felony counts across four criminal cases during 2024, depending on the source and timing of the tally; the higher total [1] is the most commonly cited aggregate in trackers that sum counts from New York, Florida, Georgia, and Washington, D.C. and the lower total [2] appears in contemporaneous reports that used slightly different case-count definitions or timing of filings and dismissals. Discrepancies stem from case updates, partial dismissals, and differing methods of counting charges across jurisdictions [3] [4].
1. Numbers on the scoreboard — Two competing tallies fight for attention
News trackers and major outlets reported two principal totals for Trump’s felony counts in 2024: 91 counts and 88 counts, both attributed to aggregating charges across four criminal matters. The 91 figure results from summing 34 felony counts in the New York hush‑money indictment, 40 counts in the Florida federal classified‑documents indictment, 13 counts in the Georgia election‑subversion indictment, and four counts in the Washington, D.C. federal election‑interference indictment. The 91 tally is presented as an aggregate regardless of later case events [3] [4] [5].
2. Where the 88 number comes from — timing and legal pruning matter
A set of contemporaneous reports and trackers recorded 88 felony counts, reflecting either an earlier snapshot before additions, a later snapshot after partial dismissals, or differing classification of certain counts. Some outlets explicitly reported 88 counts while also documenting the same underlying indictments (New York 34, Georgia 13, federal documents 40) but applied case updates differently. Differences in reporting windows and whether dismissed counts were removed explain the lower total [4] [6].
3. How specific case outcomes altered the arithmetic
By mid‑2024, some outlets noted substantive outcomes that changed the live count: the New York hush‑money case produced a conviction on 34 counts, and the federal Florida case saw a dismissal in at least one iteration referenced in trackers. These developments meant that an early‑year aggregate could overstate the number of active felony charges later in the year. Counting either initial indictment counts or current active counts produces different meaningful totals and both approaches were used by reputable trackers [3] [5].
4. Why counting methodology is decisive — what reporters included and excluded
Trackers diverged on whether to count every felony charged at any point in 2024, or to count only charges that remained pending after judicial rulings, dismissals, or convictions. Some sources explicitly summed initial indictment counts to reach 91 and labeled that as “accused of 91 counts,” while others reflected the post‑ruling landscape and reported 88. Methodological choice — snapshot versus cumulative count — is the primary driver of the reporting gap [3] [4].
5. The role of court documents and direct filings — ambiguity in the primary record
Court dockets and filings contain the raw counts but can be opaque about aggregation; one repository of court documents relevant to Trump’s cases did not itself present a single consolidated number, meaning journalists had to interpret and sum counts across different dockets. Primary court records require editorial aggregation, creating space for variation in totals reported by secondary sources [7] [4].
6. What reputable trackers agreed on despite the numeric gap
All major trackers agreed on the core facts: Trump faced criminal prosecutions in New York, federal Florida, Washington, D.C., and Georgia, and those cases collectively involved dozens of felony charges tied to falsifying business records, classified‑documents violations, and alleged election subversion. The dispute was about the precise arithmetic, not the existence of multi‑jurisdictional felony exposure. Substantive legal exposure across four jurisdictions is consistent across sources [3] [4].
7. Practical takeaway — how to interpret the counts going forward
When citing a headline number, specify the counting method: use “91 counts (aggregate of indicted counts across four jurisdictions as reported in spring 2024)” if you include initial indictments, or “88 counts” if you use sources that adjusted for later dismissals or reclassifications. Transparency about timing and inclusion rules resolves the apparent contradiction and reflects the evolving nature of criminal litigation [5] [6].
8. Final verification note — rely on updated trackers and court dockets
Because filings, dismissals, and convictions changed counts over 2024, the most reliable approach is to consult updated case trackers and the relevant docket entries for each jurisdiction when precision matters. Trackers that timestamp their totals and list per‑case counts make it possible to reconcile differences; both the 91 and 88 figures are defensible given different but documented counting practices [3].