Trump Appeals New York Felony Convictions Citing Presidential Immunity

President Donald Trump is actively appealing his 34 felony convictions in New York related to falsifying business records connected to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels. His legal team argues that the prosecution was politically motivated, citing that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg manufactured charges and that the trial judge showed bias, notably refusing to recuse himself despite prior political donations to Democratic groups. The appeal also invokes the 2024 U.S. Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity, claiming it invalidates the conviction and that evidence of Trump's official acts was wrongly admitted. The case hinges on whether the payments, intended to silence Daniels about an alleged affair, constituted a felony by concealing another crime, an argument the defense calls convoluted and unsupported by adequate evidence. Trump's attorneys criticize the jury instructions and the legal theory underpinning the prosecution, asserting the trial should never have occurred. Despite his conviction, Trump was discharged without penalty in early 2025, but he remains a felon until the appellate court overturns the ruling.