Trump felonys

1. The headline: what felonies was Trump convicted of and when

A Manhattan jury found Trump guilty on all 34 counts charging falsifying business records in connection with hush-money payments, making him the first former or sitting U.S. president to be convicted of felony crimes; the verdict came in May 2024 and was widely reported as a landmark conviction ^{[1] [7]}. The conviction led to a sentencing hearing in January 2025 where the presiding judge imposed an unconditional discharge rather than incarceration or fines, meaning the court treated him as a convicted felon without further penal sanctions at that time ^{[2] [8]}.

2. The broader set of indictments and where they stand

Between 2023 and 2025 Trump faced indictments in four separate matters across state and federal venues, amounting to dozens of counts—reporting catalogues as many as 88 criminal counts across those cases—with outcomes that include conviction on 34 counts, dismissal or dropping of numerous other counts, and ongoing appeals or litigation over remaining charges ^{[9] [3] [10]}. The other high-profile matters included federal prosecutions related to classified documents and charges tied to the 2020 election in Georgia and D.C.; those matters produced a mix of superseding indictments, dropped counts, and procedural rulings that left many charges unresolved or challenged ^{[10] [3]}.

3. Immunity, appeals and prosecutorial reversals that altered criminal exposure

Legal defenses and procedural rulings altered Trump’s exposure: a 2024 Supreme Court decision addressed presidential immunity for official acts, and prosecutors in some venues later dropped charges or had cases dismissed, producing outcomes in which multiple counts did not lead to convictions even as the New York verdict stood and appellate litigation continued ^{[3] [9]}. Trump appealed his New York conviction and filing activity in late 2025 shows continued attempts to overturn or limit its effect, while other prosecutors—such as the successor in Georgia—have declined to pursue previously filed counts, illustrating how prosecutorial discretion and appellate review can dramatically change criminal outcomes ^{[4] [9]}.

4. How conviction status translated into practical consequences

Although the New York jury verdict established criminal liability on 34 felony counts, the unconditional discharge meant no jail time or financial penalties followed at sentencing, and reporting emphasized that Trump remained a convicted felon under the law even without further punishment at that moment ^{[2] [7]}. Separately, executive actions taken after his return to office—pardons and commutations for January 6 defendants and structural changes at the Justice Department—have shifted the political and enforcement context surrounding prosecutions and post-conviction consequences ^{[5] [6]}.

5. Competing narratives, political agendas, and what the sources reveal

News outlets and advocacy groups frame the felonies differently: mainstream legal coverage focuses on the facts of indictments, convictions, appeals and sentencing (Lawfare, AP, PBS) while political actors and state officials use convictions or dismissals to press broader arguments—either as evidence of criminality and corruption or as proof of politicized prosecutions—revealing partisan incentives in how the felony record is deployed publicly ^{[7] [1] [11]}. Reporting also shows that some legal developments—dismissals, drops, and executive policy changes—reflect institutional decisions and not a single, settled account of guilt or punishment across all allegations ^{[3] [12]}.