Donald Trump court case as it happened: defiant ex-President says US is ‘going to hell’ as he attacks case
Donald Trump told a crowd in Florida that the US “is going to hell” before branding the case brought against him as “fake”
A defiant Donald Trump has claimed to be the victim of election interference as he delivered an address in Florida just hours after his historic arraignment.
Trump flew back to Florida from New York after pleading not guilty to 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in the first degree in a Manhattan courthouse. The appearance marked the first time a former US President has faced criminal charges, which stem from hush money payments made ahead of his successful 2016 Presidential campaign to porn star Stormy Daniels.
The 74-year-old made a rousing speech to a crowd of some 500 loyal supporters in his Mar-a-Lago estate ballroom on Tuesday night where he portrayed himself as a political martyr. The crowd at Mar-a-Lago included supporters like failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and long-time ally Roger Stone. Trump’s wife, Melania, was absent from his side and was also not seen with him in New York.
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