History Will Also Convict Trump

His felonies follow him forever

Sometimes, Donald Trump doesn’t get away with it. Consider his May 30, 2024, conviction on 34 felony counts in a New York State court. The judge in the trial, Juan Merchan, has scheduled Trump’s sentencing for this Friday. The United States Supreme Court could still delay this final step, but regardless, on January 20, Trump will become the first convicted criminal ever to occupy the Oval Office.

Trump’s felony status has had no noticeable effect on the cult-like devotion of his followers or the cult-adjacent Americans who elected him last November. However, his criminal record, including his loss in a separate trial where he was found to have sexually abused journalist E. Jean Carroll, will follow him into office and stain his place in history.

Carroll’s claim was deemed credible by a jury, and the verdict was upheld by the state’s highest court. However, it was a civil case and did not result in a criminal conviction. The sentencing scheduled for Friday, by contrast, will hold Trump accountable for actual crimes.

These crimes involve falsifying business records to disguise hush money payments made to adult entertainer Stephanie Clifford (known professionally as Stormy Daniels) just before the 2016 election. Trump, who was married at the time, had a sexual encounter with Clifford four months after his wife, Melania, gave birth to their son Barron. When Clifford threatened to go public, Trump, locked in a close race with Hillary Clinton, arranged the payments through his attorney and self-described "fixer," Michael Cohen. These payments were falsely recorded as legal fees on Trump’s business records.

The trial’s most dramatic moment came when Cohen, himself a convicted felon for his role in the payment, testified against Trump. Cohen described how he acted as the intermediary with Clifford and billed Trump for legal services, which Trump paid personally—his signature appearing on the checks.

Clifford also took the stand, providing salacious details of her encounter with Trump. She described meeting him at a golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and later going to his hotel room. After returning from the bathroom, she found Trump sitting on the bed in his underwear. According to Clifford, Trump told her, “This is the only way you’re getting out of the trailer park.” She confirmed they had sex, recalling she tried to "think about anything other than what was happening." When it was over, she said nothing and left.

Clifford further explained that in 2016, she considered going public not for financial gain but because others had accused Trump of sexual misconduct. This was around the same time the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape surfaced, in which Trump was heard bragging about groping women because, “When you’re a star, they let you do it.”

Throughout the trial, Trump supporters and opponents gathered daily outside the courthouse, holding competing signs and often shouting at each other—an intense reflection of the nation’s division, not just over Trump as a politician but as a person.

On Friday, if proceedings go as scheduled, Trump will appear before Judge Merchan, either in person or via video link. While the judge has indicated he will not impose jail time, Trump will still face the ultimate judgment of history, which will be unambiguous.

It may take time, but one day, Donald Trump will be remembered as a uniquely corrupt figure. And, of course, as the criminal who once lived in the White House.