Former US president Donald Trump is accompanied by members of his legal team, Susan Necheles and Joe Tacopina, as he appears in court for an arraignment on charges stemming from his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury.Former US president Donald Trump has formally pleaded not guilty at a court in New York following his indictment on criminal charges after a probe into hush money paid to a porn star.
Trump, 76, was arrested and charged on Tuesday after surrendering in a watershed moment for the country as his supporters and detractors noisily rallied outside.
He was charged on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
He entered the plea on Tuesday during a brief arraignment in a lower Manhattan courtroom as prosecutors unsealed a grand jury indictment, according to several news reports.
Earlier, he arrived at court in an eight-car motorcade that took him from Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan through the main north-south road on the east side of the city, past landmarks such as the United Nations.
From his motorcade, Trump posted on social media: “Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL - WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can’t believe this is happening in America.”
BREAKING: Pres. Trump enters courtroom for arraignment hearing. https://t.co/XODSVhRvCFpic.twitter.com/km2MchOExi
— ABC News (@ABC) April 4, 2023
Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg has charged Trump with crimes related to six-figure payments made to porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Both say they had sexual encounters with the married Trump years before he got into politics.
Trump denies having sexual liaisons with either woman and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.
Trump is scheduled to return to his Palm Beach, Florida, home, Mar-a-Lago, on Tuesday evening to give remarks.
A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.
The charges against him do not require that bail be set.
Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, claims the affair did not happen and has alleged that the indictment is “political persecution” from the Democrats to impact the election.
He also alleged that the Democrats have “done the unthinkable” and indicted a “completely innocent person”.
In a statement, his lawyer said: “He did not commit any crime. We will vigorously fight this political prosecution in court.”
Trump’s indictment involved him travelling to the district attorney’s office in downtown New York to surrender.
Trump will have had his fingerprints taken. It’s unclear whether a mugshot will be taken.
It marks the first instance in American history of a former president facing criminal charges, and comes after years of investigations into the 76-year-old’s business, political and personal dealings.
Any trial of the former US president would still be more than a year away, legal experts say, and could coincide with the final months of the 2024 presidential campaign as Trump seeks a return to the White House.
The Manhattan case is the least serious of the potential criminal cases targetting Trump. A federal special prosecutor, Jack Smith, is investigating both Trump’s handling of classified documents and his role in the January 6 Capitol riot. And a grand jury in Georgia could soon hand up charges related to Trump’s efforts to change election results there.
