What happened during Trump’s appearance in Miami court? And what’s next?

The arrest and arraignment of Donald Trump in a Miami court on Tuesday was historic. Never before has a former American president faced federal charges. Trump, who made a first appearance in federal court in Miami, pleaded not guilty to 37 counts related to the mishandling and retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate . Here’s a look at the charges, the special counsel’s investigation and what happens next in the case: What happened in the Miami court? Trump’s lawyer entered a not-guilty plea for him, and the former president was released on his own recognisance without no bail. He will not have to surrender his passport or have his personal travel restricted. He scowled at times during the 50-minute hearing but was otherwise expressionless. He folded his arms, fiddled with a pen and crossed his fingers back and forth as he listened. [caption id=“attachment_12734912” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The motorcade carrying former President Donald Trump arrives at the Wilkie D Ferguson Jr US Courthouse, in Miami. AP[/caption] Trump leaned over to whisper to his attorneys before the hearing began but did not speak during the proceedings. He remained seated while his lawyer Todd Blanche stood up and entered the plea on his behalf. “We most certainly enter a plea of not guilty,” the lawyer told the judge. Blanche objected to barring the former president from talking to witnesses, including his co-defendant, valet Walt Nauta, saying that they work for him and he needs to be able to communicate with them. After some back and forth, Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman said Trump cannot talk to them about the case except through his lawyers, but he can talk to them about their jobs. Nauta was granted a bond with the same conditions as Trump. He did not enter a plea because he does not have a local attorney. He will be arraigned 27 June before Chief Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres, but he does not have to be present. Court records don’t indicate when the next hearing in Trump’s case will be. Unlike Trump’s arraignment in New York, no photographs were taken because cameras aren’t allowed in federal court. There were, however, sketch artists, and theirs will be the only images from the actual courtroom appearance. **Also Read: How Trump's indictment will affect the 2024 presidential race** Security remained tight outside the building, but there were no signs of significant disruptions despite the presence of hundreds of protesters. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said on Fox News that there were no arrests or “major incidents.” What happened after Trump left the court? Before heading to the airport, Trump’s motorcade took a detour to Versailles Restaurant in Miami’s Little Havana neighbourhood, where a small crowd of supporters awaited him. Posing for photos and saying “food for everyone,” Trump commented briefly on his case. “I think it’s going great,” he said. “We have a rigged country. We have a country that’s corrupt.” [caption id=“attachment_12734862” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Former president Donald Trump speaks to supporters at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, in Bedminster, New Jersey. AP[/caption] Several religious leaders at the restaurant prayed over him for a moment. Afterwards, Trump flew back to his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, where he gave a speech to hundreds of cheering supporters, many clad in red “Make America Great Again” hats. “This day will go down in infamy,” Trump said, describing the federal prosecution against him as “the most evil and heinous abuse of power in the history of our country.” He told the crowd that he had “every right” to hold the classified documents, but “hadn’t had a chance to go through all the boxes”. He claimed he followed the law and went on to list a series of unsubstantiated claims against President Joe Biden and his former rival Hillary Clinton, according to a BBC report. Before leaving Miami, Trump, on his social media platform Truth Social, thanked the city for “such a warm welcome on such a sad day for our country”. What are the charges against Trump? Trump faces 37 counts related to the mishandling of classified documents, including 31 counts under an Espionage Act statute pertaining to the wilful retention of national defence information. The charges also include counts of obstructing justice and making false statements, among other crimes. Trump is accused of keeping documents related to “nuclear weaponry in the United States” and the “nuclear capabilities of a foreign country,” along with documents from White House intelligence briefings, including some that detail the military capabilities of the US and other countries, according to the indictment. **Also Read: Donald Trump is indicted again: What is the classified documents case?** Prosecutors allege Trump showed off the documents to people who did not have security clearances to review them and later tried to conceal documents from his own lawyers as they sought to comply with federal demands to find and return documents. The top charges carry penalties of up to 20 years in prison. How did this case come about? Officials with the National Archives and Records Administration reached out to representatives for Trump in the spring of 2021 when they realised that important material from his time in office was missing. According to the Presidential Records Act, White House documents are considered property of the US government and must be preserved. [caption id=“attachment_12734892” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Donald Trump leaves his Trump National Doral resort, in Doral, Florida. AP[/caption] A Trump representative told the National Archives in December 2021 that presidential records had been found at Mar-a-Lago. In January 2022, the National Archives retrieved 15 boxes of documents from Trump’s Florida home, later telling Justice Department officials that they contained “a lot” of classified material. That May, the FBI and Justice Department issued a subpoena for remaining classified documents in Trump’s possession. Investigators who went to visit the property weeks later to collect the records were given roughly three dozen documents and a sworn statement from Trump’s lawyers attesting that the requested information had been returned. But that assertion turned out to be false. With a search warrant, federal officials returned to Mar-a-Lago in August 2022 and seized more than 33 boxes and containers totalling 11,000 documents from a storage room and an office, including 100 classified documents. In all, roughly 300 documents with classification markings — including some at the top secret level — have been recovered from Trump since he left office in January 2021. Does a federal indictment prevent Trump from running for president? No. Neither the charges nor a conviction would prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024. According to the US Constitution, presidential candidates be natural-born American citizens who are at least 35 years old and have lived in the country for 14 years. Will the indictment affect his campaign? A trial will take place months from now and Trump can campaign during this time. The federal criminal charges against Trump have done little to change Americans’ views of the former president, based on a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Monday that showed him maintaining a commanding lead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Some 43 per cent of self-identified Republicans said Trump was their preferred candidate, compared to 22 per cent who picked Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. In early May, Trump led DeSantis 49 per cent to 19 per cent but that was before DeSantis formally entered the race, reports Reuters. [caption id=“attachment_12735142” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Trump flanked by his defence attorneys, signs his bond in federal court, in Miami. AP[/caption] Trump has used the cases and investigations against an opportunity to raise funds and garner support, telling supporters that he is under attack and needs their help. Trump’s campaign said in April that donations surged after he was indicted in New York. Even Trump’s rivals have come out and backed him, as the former president enjoys massive support among Republican voters. Also read: FBI raids Mar-a-Lago: A look at history and controversies of Donald Trump’s ‘Winter White House’ Can Trump be prosecuted if he wins the elections? If Trump wins the 2024 presidential polls, it is unlikely that the prosecution would proceed. The US justice department is part of the executive branch, and presidents are the top federal law enforcement officers in the country. Federal prosecutors generally serve at their pleasure. It has a decades-old policy that a sitting president cannot be prosecuted, reports Reuters. Under “extraordinary circumstances”, the policy can be dismissed with a go-ahead from the US attorney general. A lame-duck attorney general serving under Democratic President Joe Biden, in this case Merrick Garland, could ignore that policy and forge ahead, but Trump, as president, could fire him and hire an acting replacement of his choice before naming a permanent successor subject to US Senate confirmation, reports Reuters. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.