If you’ve spent any time scrolling through the news lately, you know the numbers flying around regarding Donald Trump’s legal battles are enough to make your head spin. One day it’s 91, the next it’s 34, and then you hear something about cases being tossed out left and right. It’s a lot. Honestly, even for people who follow politics professionally, keeping the tally straight is a full-time job.
So, let's just get the big answer out of the way immediately. As of early 2026, Donald Trump has exactly 34 felony convictions on his record. That’s the number. 34. All of them come from a single trial in Manhattan. If you’re wondering what happened to the rest—those dozens of other charges that were plastered across every headline in 2023 and 2024—the reality is a bit more complicated than a simple "guilty" or "not guilty." Basically, a massive wave of dismissals and "indefinite pauses" changed the landscape completely once he headed back to the White House.
The Manhattan 34: Where the Felonies Actually Came From
The only place where a jury actually sat down, looked at the evidence, and said "guilty" was in New York. This was the "hush money" case, though the legal term is falsifying business records in the first degree.
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You might remember the details: payments made to Stormy Daniels, the involvement of Michael Cohen, and a series of ledger entries. In May 2024, a jury convicted Trump on all 34 counts. For a long time, everyone was waiting to see if he’d actually face jail time. But by January 2025, right before the inauguration, Judge Juan Merchan sentenced him to an unconditional discharge.
What does that mean? It means he has the convictions on his record, but no jail, no fines, and no probation. It’s sort of a legal "checkmate" where the conviction stands, but the punishment is non-existent because, well, it’s pretty hard to put a sitting president in a cell.
Whatever Happened to the Other 57 Charges?
If you remember the number 91, you aren't crazy. That was the original total across four different indictments. Here is how we got from 91 down to 34:
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- The Federal Election Interference Case: Originally 4 felony counts. This was Jack Smith’s big case in D.C. about January 6. Once Trump won the 2024 election, the Department of Justice (DOJ) basically had to pack up their bags. Long-standing DOJ policy says you can't prosecute a sitting president. The case was dismissed in late 2024.
- The Classified Documents Case: Originally 40 felony counts. Judge Aileen Cannon in Florida dismissed this one entirely in July 2024, arguing that Jack Smith’s appointment was unconstitutional. While there were appeals, the DOJ eventually dropped the matter in November 2024.
- The Georgia RICO Case: This one started with 13 counts (later reduced to 8 or 9 depending on the week). It was a mess. Between DA Fani Willis’s personal drama and the Georgia Court of Appeals stepping in, the case slowed to a crawl. By late 2025, it was effectively dismissed after the special prosecutor took over and realized they couldn't move forward against a sitting commander-in-chief.
So, while he was accused of nearly a hundred felonies, the vast majority were either dropped, dismissed, or "vanished" into the legal ether once the 2024 election results were certified.
Why the Convictions Still Matter (Even Without Jail)
You might think 34 felonies don't matter if there’s no punishment, but that’s not quite how the law works. Having "convicted felon" on your bio is a permanent thing. Even in 2026, with Trump back in office, his legal team is still fighting to get those 34 New York counts overturned on appeal.
They’ve been arguing that the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity should have blocked a lot of the evidence used in that Manhattan trial. Kinda technical, I know. But if they win that appeal, that number 34 could actually drop to zero. For now, though, it stays right where it is.
The Current State of Play in 2026
The legal vibe right now is more about "recouping" than "prosecuting." In Georgia, for example, Trump’s team is actually trying to get the state to pay back over $6 million in legal fees because the case was dismissed.
It’s a wild reversal. We went from "will he go to prison?" to "will the government pay his lawyers?" in about eighteen months.
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A Quick Summary for Your Next Political Argument:
- 34 Felonies: Total current count (all from the New York business records case).
- Sentence: Unconditional discharge (no jail, no fines).
- Dismissed Cases: Federal election case (4 counts), Florida documents case (40 counts), and Georgia election case (all remaining counts).
- Status: All counts are currently under appeal or have been dismissed due to DOJ policy regarding sitting presidents.
What You Should Watch For Next
The big thing to keep an eye on is the New York Appellate Division. If they decide that the "hush money" trial was tainted by evidence that should have been protected by immunity, they could toss the whole conviction. If that happens, Donald Trump would go from 34 felonies to zero.
Until that ruling comes down, 34 is the official, factually accurate answer to how many felonies he has. It's a historic number, being the first time a president has ever held that "title," but in practical terms, it hasn't stopped him from exercising the powers of the presidency.
If you're trying to stay updated, don't just look at the headlines—check the specific docket status of the Manhattan appeal. That’s the only place where the "total" could actually change at this point. The federal doors are closed, and the Georgia case is essentially a ghost.