Trump’s criminal record
Executive summary
Donald J. Trump has been the subject of multiple criminal prosecutions beginning in 2023 and was convicted on 34 felony counts in New York in May 2024 for falsifying business records related to alleged hush-money payments, a conviction that remains contested on appeal and in federal review [1] [2] [3]. Separately, prosecutors have brought dozens more criminal charges across four distinct 2023 indictments — a total often reported as 88 individual counts — spanning classified documents, efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and Georgia election-related charges [4] [5] [6].
1. The indictments: four separate criminal tracks in 2023
In 2023 Trump faced four criminal indictments: a March New York indictment over alleged hush-money-related falsified business records, a June federal indictment in Florida tied to classified documents, an August federal indictment in D.C. for alleged attempts to obstruct the January 6 congressional proceeding, and an August Georgia state indictment over alleged efforts to subvert the 2020 election in that state [1] [5] [6].
2. The New York conviction: 34 felony counts and ongoing legal fights
Jurors found Trump guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in May 2024 in the Manhattan case tied to payments to Stormy Daniels; that verdict marked the first criminal conviction of a U.S. president or former president, and sentencing outcomes and appellate strategy have continued to evolve since the verdict [1] [2] [3].
3. The broader tally: 88 charges reported by watchdogs and media
Advocacy groups and major outlets have tracked a cumulative total of roughly 88 criminal charges across the four cases as of early-to-mid 2024, a figure that aggregates individual counts in the New York, federal classified-documents, D.C. January 6, and Georgia matters [4] [6].
4. Sentencing, remedies, and what a conviction means in practice
Reporting indicates judges in at least the New York matter have signaled a reluctance to impose prison for the conviction and have explored noncustodial outcomes; Reuters noted a judge indicated he did not plan to send Trump to jail though the conviction places a judgment of guilt on his record [3]. Appeals and constitutional questions — including issues flagged by legal scholars and recent Supreme Court guidance — mean the practical legal consequences remain in flux [7].
5. Political context, competing narratives, and the caution about labels
Coverage and official actions around Trump’s criminal matters have been highly politicized: state actors and advocacy groups frame convictions as historic accountability while political allies emphasize perceived prosecutorial overreach; commentary groups such as the Vera Institute caution against simplistic labeling and urge consideration of broader criminal-justice implications even as they acknowledge the May 2024 guilty verdict [8] [9].
6. Current status and limits of reporting
By late 2025 and into early 2026, outlets reported evolving outcomes: some prosecutions have been dropped, resolved, or put aside as political and legal circumstances changed after Trump’s return to office, but the record of indictments, the May 2024 conviction, and ongoing appeals remain documented [10] [2]. This summary relies on available reporting; where materials do not specify final appellate outcomes, pardons, or other ultimate legal resolutions, those specifics are not asserted here because they are not covered in the supplied sources [10] [7].