Is trump still considered a felon?
Executive summary
Donald Trump was convicted by a New York jury on 34 felony counts in May 2024, a verdict widely reported as making him the first former U.S. president convicted of felony crimes [1] [2], and subsequent reporting and court action describe him as a “convicted felon,” including a judge’s unconditional discharge that affirmed the conviction while imposing no further penalties [3].
1. The conviction: what happened and how outlets describe it
A Manhattan jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts tied to falsifying business records related to a payment scheme, producing multiple mainstream reports that label him a convicted felon [1] [2], and PBS explained that the judge’s later unconditional discharge “affirms he’s a convicted felon” even though the discharge meant no fines or jail time [3].
2. Sentence, discharge, and the current legal status
Although the jury returned guilty verdicts in 2024 and sentencing proceedings followed, reporting notes that the judge granted an unconditional discharge—meaning the conviction stands but the court imposed no further punishment in that disposition—an outcome explained explicitly by PBS [3] and summarized in contemporaneous legal timelines [2].
3. Legal and practical consequences cited by analysts
Observers and legal experts have parsed what the label “convicted felon” entails in practice—Boston University coverage highlights concrete effects such as ineligibility for jury service and other collateral consequences that follow felony convictions in U.S. jurisdictions [4]—but definitive contours of how those consequences apply to a sitting or incoming president remain contested and are shaped by further legal and political developments not fully resolved in the cited reporting [4].
4. Political context, counterclaims and presidential power moves
Political actors and Trump himself framed the prosecutions as a partisan “witch-hunt,” a defense explicitly noted in reporting of his reaction to the conviction [3], while his administration and allies have since pursued broad assertions of executive authority and used clemency power aggressively for others—granting clemency to roughly 1,600 Jan. 6 defendants and numerous high-profile figures in 2025—which situates the conviction within a fraught landscape of legal and political maneuvers [5] [6].
5. Bottom line — is he still considered a felon?
Based on the available reporting, yes: major news organizations and legal summaries refer to Donald Trump as a convicted felon following the New York jury verdict and the judge’s subsequent discharge language that “affirms he’s a convicted felon” [1] [3] [2]. That designation reflects a legal fact—the jury conviction—and not a broader judgment about punishment, because the unconditional discharge meant no additional penalties were imposed in that sentencing [3]. Where the label’s practical effects begin and end in the current political and legal environment remains a live question influenced by ongoing legal processes and political actions documented in the sources [4] [5].