Has Donald Trump been criminally convicted of any sexual assault charges at the state or federal level?
Executive summary
As of the available reporting in these sources, Donald Trump has not been criminally convicted on state or federal sexual assault charges; however, a federal civil jury found him liable for sexually abusing columnist E. Jean Carroll and awarded damages, a verdict later upheld on appeal [1] [2]. Separate criminal convictions mentioned in the sources relate to non-sexual matters (e.g., 34 state felony counts in a New York hush‑money case), not criminal sexual‑assault convictions [3].
1. Civil liability versus criminal conviction — the legal difference that matters
Journalists and courts make a sharp legal distinction: civil liability (being “liable” and ordered to pay money) is different from a criminal conviction (a guilty verdict, potential imprisonment, and criminal record). Multiple outlets report a New York jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll and awarded $5 million in 2023, and appellate courts upheld that civil finding [1] [2]. Those are civil rulings under tort and defamation law, not criminal prosecutions resulting in criminal convictions [1] [2].
2. The Carroll cases — what courts actually decided
Reporting shows the E. Jean Carroll litigation produced two major jury findings: one in 2023 that found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation and ordered roughly $5 million (split in awards noted in reporting), and later related rulings and appeals that affirmed substantial monetary penalties, including references to $83.3 million in some post‑trial rulings [4] [5] [6]. Those accounts uniformly describe civil jury verdicts and appellate review; they do not describe a criminal trial producing a criminal sexual‑assault conviction [4] [5] [6].
3. Appeals and Supreme Court filings — civil judgments under litigation
Trump has appealed and sought higher‑court review of the Carroll civil verdicts; for example, his team asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the $5 million civil ruling [4] [5]. News outlets explicitly characterize these as appeals of civil findings, not criminal appeals [5]. The continued appeals underscore that these civil judgments remain contested in higher courts [4] [5].
4. What the sources say about criminal convictions overall
The provided reporting notes other criminal convictions tied to Trump in non‑sexual matters — for example, a New York state conviction on 34 felony counts related to alleged hush‑money payments — but none of the supplied sources say he has been criminally convicted of sexual assault at state or federal level [3]. Therefore, available sources do not report any criminal sexual‑assault conviction of Trump.
5. Multiple viewpoints and limits of the record
Some sources emphasize the historic nature of the Carroll civil verdict as a first‑of‑its‑kind finding that a major‑party presidential candidate was found liable for sexual assault in civil court [1]. Other pieces — notably Trump’s appeal filings — push back, arguing errors in the civil process and disputing evidence and timing [5]. The sources collectively present both the plaintiffs’ courtroom victories and the defendant’s ongoing legal challenges [5] [2]. Available sources do not mention any criminal sexual‑assault convictions to contradict the civil/civil‑appeal framing, nor do they provide reporting of a criminal trial or guilty plea on sexual‑assault charges.
6. What to watch next — appeals, remittitur, or new prosecutions
The civil findings have been appealed and in some instances upheld by appellate panels [2]. Trump’s legal teams have petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn civil verdicts, signaling continued litigation [4] [5]. The sources do not report active criminal indictments for sexual assault that resulted in criminal convictions; if new criminal charges or convictions were filed or entered after these articles, those developments are not covered in the provided reporting (available sources do not mention later criminal sexual‑assault convictions).
7. Why people conflate civil and criminal outcomes — political context and media shorthand
Coverage sometimes compresses complex legal outcomes into headline lines that can create confusion: civil findings of “sexual abuse” or “forcible touching” under state tort law may be described in everyday language as someone having “been found to have sexually assaulted” another person, even though the legal remedies differ from criminal penalties [1] [2]. Meanwhile, separate criminal convictions for other offenses (e.g., the New York hush‑money conviction) are frequently cited alongside civil sexual‑assault findings, which can further blur public understanding [3].
Sources cited above: PBS News (civil verdict coverage and appeals) [1] [2], CNN reporting on Supreme Court appeal filings [5], Wikipedia summary of Carroll litigation and appeals [4], and PBS contextual reporting on Trump’s other criminal convictions [3].