Donald Trump’s historic day in court: Recapping a day of drama that ended with a ‘not guilty’ plea

Picture this: A former United States president with a sombre face and surrounded by Secret Service agents walking into a courthouse as a defendant during his arraignment. That’s exactly what happened on Tuesday when Donald Trump, dressed in his usual attire of suit and red tie, entered the Manhattan criminal court to face charges in connection to hush money payments made to porn start Stormy Daniels. It’s the first time in United States history that a former president faces criminal charges. And the indictment only marks the beginning of Trump’s legal troubles given that he is the target of several additional ongoing civil and criminal probes . But what exactly happened inside the courtroom? How did the former US president react as he faced 34 counts of falsifying business records? What about his mug shot? And what happens to Trump next? We breakdown the entire court proceedings for you and give you the full picture of Trump’s arraignment. Trump’s Day in Court After travelling from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida to New York on Monday, Donald Trump made his way to the court from Trump Tower in Manhattan. As he stepped out of the gilded building in Manhattan, Trump raised a fist defiantly and waved to onlookers before he entered a motorcade that took him to court. It has been reported that Secret Service agents had toured the courthouse earlier to plan his entry and exit. They had mapped out multiple routes to plan his route on Tuesday morning from his private apartment in Trump Tower to the courthouse. [caption id=“attachment_12408832” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Former US president Donald Trump departs from Trump Tower, on the day of his planned court appearance in New York City. Reuters[/caption] As he entered the court, Trump held a stoic expression and according to a BBC report, his steps seemed heavy and slow as he walked down the courtroom’s centre aisle to take his place at the front, where his defence attorneys waited for him. The People of New York v Donald Trump Once the hearing began, Trump was made aware that he was facing 34 counts of falsifying business records. It’s important to note here that until his day in court, the former president was unaware of the charges he was facing. Though falsifying records is treated as lesser misdemeanours, Trump is accused of committing felony offences. That denotes a more serious crime, which could include prison time if a maximum sentence is given. As New York City District Attorney Alvin Bragg said, “At its core, this case today is one with allegations like so many of our white-collar cases. Allegations that someone lied, again and again, to protect their interests and evade the laws to which we are all held accountable.” Bragg alleges that Trump falsified the true nature of payments he made to his then lawyer Michael Cohen because those payments were made in support of a crime. While hush-money payments are not by themselves illegal, spending money to help a presidential campaign but not disclosing it violates federal campaign finance law. Moreover, Bragg states that Trump made two other hush-money payments and these, Trump knew, were part of an illegal attempt to influence the 2016 presidential election. The indictment’s Statement of Facts document reads, “The defendant orchestrated a scheme with others to influence the 2016 presidential election by identifying and purchasing negative information about him to suppress its publication and benefit the defendant’s electoral prospects. In order to execute the unlawful scheme, the participants violated election laws and made and caused false entries in the business records of various entities in New York.” [caption id=“attachment_12408852” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Former US president Donald Trump arrives at the courtroom at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York before his hearing. Trump has been charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records stemming from three pre-election hush-money cases. AFP[/caption] After being read the charges by Judge Juan Merchan, he replied: “Not guilty.” Then at one point, Judge Merchan addressed Trump directly, reminding him that he had a right to be present at all proceedings related to his case. Asked if he understood this, Trump replied: “Yes.” Afterwards, Trump’s lawyers told reporters outside the courthouse after his arraignment that Trump is “frustrated” with the indictment, but determined to fight the allegations both legally and politically.

Read all about Donald Trump’s historic indictment Donald Trump to be charged over hush money payment to porn star: What’s the case all about? Donald Trump indicted: Who's who in the hush money payment case Not Just Stormy Daniels: Donald Trump's affair with Playboy model Karen McDougal and the hush-money deal Will Donald Trump’s prosecution in hush money case help his 2024 US presidential bid?

After arriving back home in Florida, Trump addressed his supporters saying he “never thought something like this could happen in the US.” He said, “The only crime that I’ve committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it.” “Our country is going to hell. This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election and it should be dropped immediately,” he added amid cheers and claps from his supporters, who gathered at his Florida house. A mug shot that never happened One of the questions that everyone was asking before the arraignment was whether the former president would be handcuffed and would he do a perp walk. He wasn’t handcuffed nor did he do the perp walk. Another question was about the infamous mug shot . Trump was not subjected to be photographed, but was still fingerprinted and given a booking number. Trump’s battle has just begun Tuesday’s appearance in court is known as ‘discovery’ and now the next date has been set for 4 December. There are chances that Trump’s lawyers will ask for a transfer of venue. Matthew Galluzzo, a former prosecutor in the New York District Attorney’s office told Al Jazeera, “This man (Trump) is very unpopular in Manhattan.” Moreover, Trump has claimed that Judge Juan Merchan, who recently presided over a criminal tax fraud trial involving the Trump Organization, “hates” him and was “hand-picked” by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who is overseeing the case. [caption id=“attachment_12408942” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Opponents of Donald Trump gather outside of the Manhattan Criminal Court during his arraignment in New York City. AFP[/caption] Interestingly, the court hasn’t issued a gag order on the case. This means that Trump can speak about the matter, though he’s been warned against making any statements that could further foment unrest or lead to violence against an official. Reuters has reported that the case would go to trial in January next year, but that is still a long way to go. The charges against Trump are Class E felonies and carry a maximum prison sentence of four years per count, though if Trump was convicted a judge could sentence him to probation. [caption id=“attachment_12408962” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] If there were opponents, there were also Trump supporters outside of the Manhattan Criminal Court. AFP[/caption] So, 2024 elections are a go Does this mean that Trump can still run for US president in 2024? Yes, it does. For now, Trump can continue his bid for a second time in the White House. However, as per the judge, Trump will be required to make an appearance in court during the proceedings, even if the hearings fall in the heat of the presidential campaign season. This could impede Trump, but by law, the businessman-turned-reality-star-turned-politician can run for president and, who knows, even win the polls. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.