You’d think, with nearly 250 years of history under our belts, the answer to how many presidents have been convicted of a felony would be a long, scandalous list. We’ve had rebels, duelists, and guys who flat-out ignored the Supreme Court. But honestly? The list is incredibly short.
Exactly one.
For over two centuries, the tally was zero. That changed on May 30, 2024. Donald J. Trump became the first former U.S. president to be convicted of felony crimes. He wasn't just hit with one charge, either. A New York jury found him guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.
It was a weird, tense moment for the country. Whether you followed every second of the "hush money" trial or just caught the headlines, that day permanently shifted how we view the American presidency.
The History Maker Nobody Expected
Before 2024, the closest we ever got to a convicted president was Richard Nixon. Everyone remembers Watergate. But Nixon was never actually convicted of a felony. He resigned before he could be impeached or prosecuted, and his successor, Gerald Ford, gave him a "full, free, and absolute pardon." That effectively wiped the legal slate clean.
Then there’s Ulysses S. Grant. He was once arrested for speeding in his horse-drawn carriage in Washington, D.C. He paid a fine, but that was a misdemeanor—not even close to a felony.
So, why did it take until the 21st century for a president to face a felony conviction?
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Basically, it comes down to a mix of legal immunity, political norms, and the sheer difficulty of prosecuting a former Commander-in-Chief. For a long time, there was a sort of "unspoken rule" that you didn't go after former presidents in court. It was seen as too divisive. That barrier has now been shattered.
Breaking Down the 34 Counts
When people ask how many presidents have been convicted of a felony, they often follow up with: "What did he actually do?"
The case in Manhattan wasn't actually about the hush money itself. It’s not illegal to pay someone to keep quiet about an affair. The felony part came from how those payments were recorded.
Trump was accused of falsifying New York business records to hide a $130,000 payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The prosecution argued that these records were doctored to "conceal damaging information from American voters" during the 2016 election.
- The Paper Trail: Invoices were allegedly labeled as legal expenses.
- The Middleman: Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer, handled the initial payment.
- The Intent: To win the conviction, prosecutors had to prove Trump didn't just mess up his paperwork, but that he did it to hide another crime (in this case, a violation of state election laws).
The jury of 12 New Yorkers agreed. They spent weeks listening to testimony from people like Hope Hicks and David Pecker. In the end, they found a pattern of behavior that crossed the line from "shady business" into "felony conduct."
What Happened After the Conviction?
This is where things get even weirder. Usually, if you’re a convicted felon, your career options are... limited. You can’t join the military. In many states, you can’t even be a barber or a real estate agent.
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But can you be president?
Yep. The U.S. Constitution is surprisingly quiet on this. It only has three requirements for the job:
- You have to be a natural-born citizen.
- You have to be at least 35 years old.
- You have to have lived in the U.S. for 14 years.
There is no "clean criminal record" clause.
This created a surreal situation in early 2025. After winning the 2024 election, Donald Trump was sentenced on January 10, 2025—just ten days before his second inauguration. Judge Juan Merchan handed down an "unconditional discharge."
Basically, the court affirmed he was a convicted felon but decided not to send him to jail, put him on probation, or even fine him. The reasoning? Sentencing a sitting president-elect to prison would cause a massive constitutional crisis. It’s hard to run a country from a cell in Rikers Island.
Why This Single Case Matters So Much
The reason the question of how many presidents have been convicted of a felony is so popular on Google isn't just about curiosity. It’s about the "Rule of Law."
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For years, legal experts like Robert Gordon at Stanford have debated whether a president is truly "above the law." If a president can't be prosecuted while in office, and is pardoned or ignored once they leave, the law doesn't really apply to them, does it?
This conviction proved that the system can convict a president. However, the subsequent "unconditional discharge" and his return to the White House suggest that while the law applies, the consequences of the law are a different story when you hold the highest office in the land.
Actionable Takeaways: Staying Informed
If you're trying to keep track of this ongoing legal saga, here’s how to cut through the noise:
- Check the Jurisdiction: Remember that the 34 felony counts were state-level charges in New York. A president can only pardon federal crimes. This means even as president, Trump cannot pardon himself for this specific conviction.
- Follow the Appeals: Just because a conviction happened doesn't mean it stays forever. The appeals process can take years. If a higher court finds a mistake in how the trial was handled, those 34 counts could technically be vacated.
- Monitor the Other Cases: While New York is the only place with a conviction so far, there were other major cases—like the federal election interference case and the Georgia case. However, as of early 2026, federal cases against a sitting president are largely on ice due to Department of Justice policies.
The tally for how many presidents have been convicted of a felony stands at one. Whether it stays that way or becomes a precedent for future leaders is something historians will be arguing about for decades. For now, we are living through a "first" that the Founding Fathers probably never imagined.
To stay updated on the legal status of the presidency, you should regularly check the public dockets on the New York Unified Court System website or follow non-partisan legal analysis from outlets like SCOTUSblog or the Lawfare Institute. These sources provide the raw filings without the political spin often found in standard news cycles.