Explained: How Donald Trump turned his court appearance into a campaign event

Donald Trump is skilled at painting his own picture of events. The former US president’s history-making appearance on Tuesday as a criminal defendant in a Florida federal court was no different. Trump, accused of being careless with some of the country’s most sensitive secrets and obstructing authorities as they tried to recover critical documents, pleaded not guilty to 37 charges. But he treated the day like a campaign event, even as he faced serious threats to his political ambitions and his freedom. As he runs for president again in 2024, he thanked Miami for its support before his court appearance. Outside the courthouse, he waved to his supporters and after pleading not guilty, he headed to a Cuban restaurant where greeted his followers. Later, he railed against the charges and attacked his opponents before a friendly crowd of invited guests at his private golf club. We take a closer look. Always campaigning Despite the seriousness of the charges, Trump, ever the showman, sought to maximise any political benefits from the day. The Republican had encouraged supporters to show up at the federal courthouse — and hundreds did — while the 2024 presidential candidate fired off a few posts on his social media app, calling it a “WITCH HUNT” and “ONE OF THE SADDEST DAYS IN THE HISTORY OF COUR COUNTRY.” After leaving the courthouse, his motorcade ferried him to an iconic Cuban restaurant in Miami, where he bowed his head with two pastors and a rabbi for a moment of prayer, shook hands with supporters and even managed to crack some smiles and jokes as he posed for photos, including one with UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal. [caption id=“attachment_12735392” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Donald Trump appeared in federal court Tuesday on dozens of felony charges accusing him of illegally hoarding classified documents and thwarting the US justice department’s efforts to get the records back. AP[/caption] He initially kept a fairly grim expression as people in the restaurant began serenading him with “Happy Birthday,” a day before his 77th birthday. “Some birthday. Some birthday,” he said. “We’ve got a government that is out of control.” Just like he did after his arraignment in New York, Trump planned a speech afterwards from one of his golf clubs. He spoke Tuesday night from his Bedminster, New Jersey, resort, where he is spending the summer. In a maundering speech, Trump grimaced and repeated his claims of the investigation being politically motivated, called prosecutors “thugs” and claimed he was so busy that he hadn’t had time to go through all the boxes of documents and memorabilia he had kept. He also said that if elected president next year, he would appoint a special prosecutor to investigate President Joe Biden and his family. The whirling drama surrounding Trump overshadowed most other news Tuesday. His GOP presidential rivals largely refrained from any campaign events of their own. One Republican competitor, Vivek Ramaswamy, sought to capitalise on the spectacle by showing up outside the courthouse to tell reporters that he was encouraging other 2024 candidates to commit to pardoning Trump if elected to the White House. **Also Read: What happened during Trump’s appearance in Miami court? And what’s next?** Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, a Republican presidential candidate who has frequently criticised Trump, lamented in a CNN interview that candidates were not talking about issues but Trump and his legal challenges. “It sucks a lot of energy out of the room,” he said. Jack Smith in court  Special counsel Jack Smith, who has been running the case for the US justice department in Washington, appeared in the Miami courtroom Tuesday, sitting right behind federal prosecutors. Smith’s presence in the courtroom was notable and underscores the extent to which he has surfaced as the public face of the investigative team and its decision-making. He, not Attorney General Merrick Garland, was the one who announced the indictment Friday. It’s also striking given that the last special counsel who investigated Trump, Robert Mueller, steered clear of court appearances in cases brought by his team and never personally announced any of the indictments his prosecutors brought. The two public appearances by Smith in under a week suggest he’s likely to be a central protagonist in the historic saga of his investigation. What happened in New York  There was less visibility in the proceedings in Miami federal court than there had been in New York, where Trump appeared in state court and pleaded not guilty to charges related to hush money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign. In New York, journalists were allowed to film and photograph Trump inside the courthouse and photograph him in the courtroom before the arraignment began. In Miami federal court, journalists were barred from taking photos or video of Trump inside and were not allowed to have electronic devices, delaying the transmission of news to the public. [caption id=“attachment_12735412” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Special counsel Jack Smith speaks to reporters in Washington. Former president Donald Trump is facing 37 felony charges related to the mishandling of classified documents according to an indictment unsealed on Friday. AP[/caption] While only a handful of Trump supporters showed up to demonstrate in heavily Democratic New York during Trump’s Manhattan appearance, the former president had urged supporters to turn out in Republican-leaning Florida. Some officials were concerned about the possibility of violence Tuesday, but it was largely calm outside the courthouse as hundreds of Trump supporters waved flags, some getting into occasional shouting matches with small groups of anti-Trump demonstrators. Trump in a tricky spot with aides The magistrate judge overseeing Trump’s court appearance ruled that the former president can talk to his co-defendant, valet Walt Nauta, and potential witnesses about their jobs but not about the case. That could be a problem for Trump, who is not known to hold back or refrain from talking about sensitive subjects and is facing charges in the documents case, because prosecutors say he defied orders from a court. **Also Read: How Trump’s indictment will affect the 2024 presidential race** Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche noted that Nauta and potential witnesses are people with whom Trump interacts daily, whether at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida or his other clubs. Demonstrating Nauta’s continued loyalty to Trump, the personal aide travelled with the motorcade to and from the courthouse and stood by the former president’s side during a stop at the Miami restaurant after the court appearance. More trouble brewing While the federal case over classified documents in Florida and the New York hush money case play out in court, Trump will have other legal worries on his mind. [caption id=“attachment_12735422” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Guests arrive before Trump speaks at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, after pleading not guilty in a Miami courtroom earlier in the day to dozens of felony counts that he hoarded classified documents and refused government demands to give them back. AP[/caption] A separate Justice Department investigation — also led by special counsel Smith — into efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 presidential election continues in Washington. A federal grand jury has heard from witnesses including Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence. A probe in Georgia is examining Trump’s efforts to interfere with his narrow loss in the state’s 2020 election. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has suggested that any charges would come in August. Also read: FBI raids Mar-a-Lago: A look at history and controversies of Donald Trump’s ‘Winter White House’ Trump also faces a civil trial in October in New York related to allegations he and his company misled banks and tax authorities over the values of their assets. And on Tuesday, shortly after Trump appeared in court in Florida, a federal judge in New York ruled against him in a civil case for sexual abuse and defamation. The judge granted a request from a columnist who won a $5 million (Rs 41.13 crore) award against Trump to update a similar lawsuit to include his more recent public comments about her. She is seeking more than $10 million (Rs 82.26 crore) against him in the amended lawsuit. With inputs from AP Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.