Is Donald Trump still a felon
Executive summary
Yes — based on the reporting provided, Donald Trump remains a convicted felon: a New York jury found him guilty on 34 counts of first‑degree falsifying business records on May 30, 2024, and he was sentenced on January 10, 2025; the sentence was an unconditional discharge that imposed no jail time or fine, but it did not erase the conviction itself [1] [2] [3].
1. The conviction that created the legal status
A Manhattan jury in the hush‑money case returned guilty verdicts on all 34 counts of falsifying business records against Trump on May 30, 2024, making him the first former or sitting U.S. president to be convicted of felony crimes in that context, according to multiple reports [1] [4] [2].
2. Sentencing: discharge versus punishment
When the judge imposed an unconditional discharge on January 10, 2025, the court declined to impose incarceration, fines, or additional penalties — a disposition that leaves the conviction intact while removing traditional punishment — a fact explained in contemporaneous coverage showing the discharge affirmed the conviction but produced no further penal consequences [3] [2].
3. Appeals and legal maneuvers that could change the picture
Trump’s legal team has filed appeals seeking to overturn the conviction and has raised claims including presidential immunity; reporting notes that appeals were filed in related filings during late 2025 and that appellate processes are underway, which means the ultimate legal status could change if courts reverse or vacate convictions on appeal [1] [4].
4. Broader litigations and dismissed counts across other cases
The New York hush‑money conviction sits within a constellation of prosecutions and legal actions: across four separate indictments between 2023 and 2025, Trump faced 88 counts in total, with reporting summarizing that by late 2025 he had been found guilty on 34 counts while other charges in other cases had been dismissed or abandoned for a mix of legal and prosecutorial reasons [1] [3].
5. Political context, clemency, and contested narratives
Advocates and critics frame the conviction differently: legal analysts and outlets report the conviction as a settled jury verdict subject to appeal [2], while opinion writers and political actors emphasize immunity doctrines or executive power to limit future prosecutions — for example, commentary arguing that a president can blunt post‑term prosecutions appears in opinion pieces and should be read as political analysis rather than settled law [5]. The Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney documents clemency activity under the Trump administration but does not, in the sources provided, show a mechanism that retroactively nullified the New York state conviction cited above [6].
6. Bottom line and limits of the record
Based on the documented guilty verdict and the sentencing record, Trump is, as of the reporting cited here, a convicted felon; the unconditional discharge affected punishment but not the fact of conviction itself [1] [2] [3]. That legal status remains subject to change through the appellate process or other lawful remedies, and some political commentaries forecast broader immunity or prosecution‑avoidance scenarios — these are interpretive or predictive and not a substitute for judicial rulings [5] [4]. This analysis is limited to the documents and reporting provided and does not attempt to adjudicate unresolved appeals or legal claims beyond what those sources report [1] [4].