Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts on Tuesday.
Trump entered a Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday afternoon, was fingerprinted, and then was informed of the charges against him. The New York-based grand jury accused Trump of falsifying business records in the first degree, the unsealed indictment read. (RELATED: Trump Surrenders At New York Courthouse)
Trump was indicted on Thursday by the New York-based grand jury on allegations relating to his lawyer Michael Cohen paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election to keep her from speaking about an alleged affair with the former president.
The indictment states that Trump falsified several business records “with intent to defraud and intent to commit another crime and aid and conceal the commission thereof.”
Trump was in the courtroom for approximately an hour, and did not speak to the press before or after the arraignment. He was “frustrated” and “upset,” but also “motivated” after hearing the charges, his lawyers told reporters after Trump left the building.
This is the first time in American history that a current or former president is facing criminal charges.
Former US president Donald Trump appears in court at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on April 4, 2023. – Former US president Donald Trump arrived for a historic court appearance in New York on Tuesday, facing criminal charges that threaten to upend the 2024 White House race. (Photo by Seth WENIG / POOL / AFP) (Photo by SETH WENIG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump’s appearance inside the courtroom was not allowed to be televised.
The former president flew from Florida to New York on Monday and spent the night in Trump Tower. He is expected to fly to Mar-a-Lago to deliver a speech Tuesday night.
Trump has maintained that he never had an affair with Daniels, who claims that they had intimate relations starting in 2006.