Washington: Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election will put a stay on criminal cases against him for at least four years, as long as he remains in the White House. Trump is the first former US president to face criminal charges.

Found guilty in money embezzlement case

He faced four lawsuits simultaneously for most of this year, ranging from allegations of paying porn star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 campaign to attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss. In May, a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying business records related to the Daniels payment.

This made him the first former US president to be convicted in a criminal case. Trump said in an interview on October 24 that he would fire special counsel Jack Smith within two seconds of taking the oath.

Jack Smith led the federal prosecution of Trump for his efforts to overturn his election defeat and for retaining classified documents after leaving office. Trump has said he is innocent of the charges against him and that the prosecution is politically motivated.

Money was given to keep the porn star quiet

As president, Trump will have the power to fire Smith and drop federal cases against him. However, he will not have the same control over paying off porn stars to keep quiet or over Georgia's state prosecution of him for trying to overturn his 2020 defeat. But, because of his unique role as president, it is unlikely he will face legal consequences in either case during his term.

Important milestones for Trump to reach the White House

States must submit certified slates of presidential electors to the Archivist of the United States by that date as part of a 2022 federal law aimed at avoiding a repeat of the chaos that followed Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 defeat.

December 17: Electors, who make up the Electoral College, will meet in their states and the District of Columbia to choose the president and vice president.

December 25: The electoral votes must be received by the President of the Senate by this date. This role will be played by the Vice President, currently Harris, and the Archivist.

january 6, 2025: Vice President Kamala Harris will preside over the count of the Electoral College votes in a joint session of Congress and announce who has been elected vice president.

January 20, 2025: Trump and JD Vance will be sworn in as president and vice president at 12 noon local time.