A Timeline Of Trump’s Many, Many (Alleged) Crimes And Convictions
After a tense election campaign against Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, Donald Trump will once again be President of the United States as of 20 January 2025. For many, this is both disappointing and anxiety-inducing – not least because this will see Trump formally become the first twice-impeached president with a criminal conviction. Hardly a recipe for stability.
Trump’s one criminal conviction pales in comparison with the number of allegations and felony counts he has amassed over his 78 years on the planet, which range from accusations of raping a teenager in 1994 to rigging the 2016 and declarations that he incited violence that led to the 6 January storming of Capitol Hill.
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Overall, Trump has 34 felony counts to his name, one official conviction, two cases still pending and two impeachments on his CV (along with six instances of bankruptcy to his name, which also feels super reassuring for the American economy… which sadly has a big impact on the rest of the world, including us here in the UK).
So, what has Trump actually been accused and convicted of over the years? There’s a very long list of allegations (all of which he has denied) and he still has four legal challenges pending, although when he officially becomes president again he can have them dismissed under presidential immunity – or firing anyone in a position of power who attempts to push a case forward (as he will have control over the US Department of Justice).
Here’s a timeline covering just a handful of Trump's many allegations of wrongdoing and convictions:
1970s: Discrimination against Black renters
If you’ve seen the recent Trump film, The Apprentice, you’ll be familiar with this story. Back in 1973 when Trump was simply known for his endeavours in New York real estate rather than dividing a nation, he was sued by the US Department of Justice (along with his father, Fred Trump) for discriminating against Black renters who wanted to rent in buildings he owned. The case was settled in 1975 with no admission of guilt, but Trump was required to sign a document agreeing to change his rental practices.
1980s: Sexual misconduct allegations begin
Over the years, at least 25 women have gone on record to accuse Trump of predatory and inappropriate behaviour towards them, ranging from groping to rape, dating as far back as the 1980s and spanning right up until the mid-00s.
Those who’ve accused Trump of wrongdoing include a woman who says she was just a teenager at the time of being violently raped by Trump and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, to a journalist who says she was assaulted while interviewing the Trumps at home in Mar-a-Lago in 2005 (when Melania was pregnant with their son, Barron).
In papers relating to their divorce, Trump’s first wife Ivana Trump also accused him of rape, something she later retracted in a statement saying: 'As a woman, I felt violated, as the love and tenderness, which he normally exhibited towards me, was absent. I referred to this as a ‘rape,’ but I do not want my words to be interpreted in a literal or criminal sense.'
Trump’s conviction rate vs the number of allegations is miniscule, with only E Jean Carroll managing to win her defamation lawsuit and battery claim against Trump in 2023.
September 2005: Trump is caught on tape advocating 'grabbing women by the pussy'
While making a cameo on the soap Days Of Our Lives, Trump spoke to Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush and was recorded saying, 'I don't even wait and when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything... Grab 'em by the pussy. You can do anything.' Many likened it to Trump encouraging and/or admitting sexual assault and the tape was used as evidence during one of his trials against E Jean Carroll in October 2022.
When the tape was made public in 2016, Trump responded by saying, 'I said it, I was wrong, and I apologise.'
April 2016: Trump is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl
In one particularly gutting allegation, a woman known only by the pseudonym Katie Johnson accused Trump and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein of raping her when she was just 13 years old, back in 1994. In a formal declaration, Johnson wrote: 'Immediately following this rape, Defendant Trump threatened me that, were I ever to reveal any of the details of Defendant Trump's sexual and physical abuse of me, my family and I would be physically harmed if not killed.' Trump’s lawyer labelled the allegations as 'categorically untrue' and 'frivolous'.
Initially the case was dismissed. It was refiled in the September of that same year, but the lawsuit was withdrawn by Johnson two months later. She also pulled out of a public appearance shortly beforehand, saying she feared for her safety.
October 2016: A journalist accuses Trump of assaulting her in Mar-a-Lago
Natasha Stoynoff claims she was assaulted at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate by him while working as a reporter for PEOPLE magazine in 2005. She’d been sent to Trump’s Florida home to cover his wedding anniversary with a then-pregnant Melania. During a house tour, Stoynoff alleges Trump forcibly kissed her and only stopped when a staff member entered the room.
'Trump shut the door behind us. I turned around, and within seconds he was pushing me against the wall and forcing his tongue down my throat,' Stoynoff said in a 2016 essay for PEOPLE about the apparent incident.
A Trump spokeswoman responded to the article by saying 'this never happened'.
October 2016: Stormy Daniels is paid hush money
Adult entertainer Stormy Daniels is paid $130,000 by Trump’s then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, in order to keep quiet about having slept with Trump (something he denies happened). Apparently, this was due to fears that if the story broke, it could harm Trump’s first bid for the White House.
Trump has always denied knowledge of Daniels receiving such a payment at the hands of Cohen, who in turn claims he acted very much under Trump’s instructions.
May 2017 - March 2019: Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation
Following accusations that Trump’s 2016 election campaign involved illegally conspiring with Russia, former FBI investigator, Robert Mueller, spent almost two years investigating any possible wrongdoing.
Mueller’s team were unable to find enough evidence to prove Trump’s team directly 'colluded' with Russia, but it ascertained that Russia did interfere with the election by spreading mis- and disinformation online. Some of Trump’s known associates, such as Paul Manafort and Roger Stone, were ultimately convicted but Trump was not. He denied any wrongdoing.
April 2018: Trump University found to be a ‘sham’
Between 2005 and 2010, Trump ran a costly course promising to help real estate hopefuls break into the business, something he called Trump University – only its false promises of success proved a total flop. In 2018, a judge ruled that Trump must pay out $25 million as part of a settlement that saw some students get part of their money back.
ABC reported that New York Attorney General, Eric T. Schneiderman, said of the case, 'Judge Curiel's order finalising the $25 million Trump University settlement means victims of Donald Trump's fraudulent university will finally receive the relief they deserve. This settlement marked a stunning reversal by President Trump, who for years refused to compensate the victims of his sham university [...] My office won't hesitate to hold those who commit fraud accountable, no matter how rich or powerful they may be.'
Again, this case was settled without any admission of wrongdoing on Trump’s part.
21 June 2019: E Jean Carroll accuses Trump of raping her in a department store
In an article for New York Magazine, former ELLE columnist E Jean Carroll claimed Trump raped in her in the spring of 1996 while she was working in a plush department store, Bergdorf Goodman. As part of the powerful imagery accompanying the article, Carroll wore the same all-black outfit she says she was dressed in on the day of the alleged rape. She also discussed the incident in her book, What Do We Need Men For?
Trump denied the rape ever occurred and said Carroll’s story was 'fake, like the author'.
18 December 2019: Trump is impeached for the first time
Trump is charged with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, after being accused of pressuring Ukraine to launch an investigation into his political rival, Joe Biden and his family (threatening to withhold military aid). The House of Representatives impeached Trump in December 2019, however the Senate (which has a Republican majority) voted to acquit him in February 2020.
November 2020 - January 2021: Trump tries to overthrow the 2020 election results
After losing to Biden, Trump and his team repeated false information and claimed he lost due to voter fraud. He also also tried to coerce Republican state officials into throwing out very legitimate results, as they weren’t to his liking. This, along with plenty of social media commentary, resulted in a group of die-hard Trump supporters descending on the Capitol on 6 January 2021 and rioting – resulting in the death of a police officer who was assaulted by rioters and a Trump supporter, who was shot at by the authorities. A handful of officers who responded to the riots also ended their own lives within a year of the event.
13 January 2021: Trump is impeached again following the Capitol riot
Two months after losing out to Biden, Trump found himself accused of inciting a violent attack on the Capitol carried out by his supporters on 6 January 2021. Trump was accused of fanning the flames of violence through his posts on social media, claiming the election he lost to Biden was rigged and a miscarriage of justice.
Trump was once again acquitted by the Senate a month later.
It is unlikely that Trump will be convicted for his possible role in the riot, as when he becomes president again in January 2025 he will have control of the US Department of Justice – and the ability to throw the case out.
May 2021: Trump is asked about missing classified documents
It’s reported that in May 2021, the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) contacted Trump’s legal team alerting them to the fact that two boxes of classified documents had gone AWOL following his departure from the White House.
January – August 2022: Missing documents found at Trump’s home
After 15 boxes of unauthorised materials were found in Trump’s possession in January of 2022, the FBI continued an investigation that culminated in a raid on Mar-a-Lago on 8 August 2022. Many more classified documents were unearthed.
November 2022 - Spring 2023: E Jean Carroll wins her case
After initially struggling to build a case against Trump, largely due to his presidential immunity at the time, Carroll filed a defamation lawsuit against Trump – who called her a ‘liar’ after her New York Magazine article – and made a claim for battery in November 2022. Following a trial in the spring of 2023, a jury found Trump was liable for sexually abusing Carroll and defaming her by falsely denying it, which impacted on her reputation.
Trump was not found liable for rape but rather for sexual abuse. However, when Trump later filed a countersuit against Carroll, the judge dismissed it and said Carroll’s rape accusation was 'substantially true'. In total, Carroll was awarded $88 million in damages.
13 January 2023: The Trump Organization is fined $1.6million
The Trump Organization (not Trump personally) was convicted of tax fraud and fined $1.6 million in relation to 17 charges, which included falsifying documents and allegedly inflating asset values for loans and insurance purposes, while simultaneously undervaluing them for tax purposes. As part of this case, Trump’s other business practices were also investigated.
June 2023: Trump charged with 37 federal counts relating to classified documents
Following the FBI raid and recovery of classified information, Trump was hit with 37 federal counts related to the unlawful possession, retention, and mishandling of classified documents, as well as obstruction of justice for attempting to hide the documents. However, it’s predicted he will now have the case thrown out when he returns to the White House.
13 March 2024: Trump charged with trying to overturn election results in Georgia
A case against Trump, along with 18 others, begins, hooked on accusations that Trump tried to pressure Georgia’s Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, into overturning the vote count which saw him lose the 2020 election to Joe Biden.
In this incident, there were 13 felonies levelled against Trump, spanning racketeering, conspiracy, and false statements. He has denied wrongdoing.
It is expected that the ongoing case will be paused while Trump is in power, if not dismissed entirely.
30 May 2024: Trump is found guilty on 34 counts of fraud
Earlier this year, Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of fraud in relation to the paying off of Stormy Daniels. During the trial, Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen alleged that he paid Daniels the money from his own account at Trump’s instruction and under the premise that he would be reimbursed. Trump denied this.
The trial was not focussed exactly on paying Daniels hush money (that in itself is not a crime), but rather the falsifying of legal documents relating to it and on Trump violating a New York law on corporate record-keeping.
Trump’s sentencing is scheduled for 26 November 2024, but it is unlikely he will receive jail time – and if he does, there’s no doubt his team would argue against it.
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