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”
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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.

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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.

Follow NationalWorld's live blog below for the latest updates, reaction and analysis on this extraordinary episode in US politics.

Donald Trump in court - live

'Grim' expression on Trump's face as he enters courtroom

Reporters inside the Manhattan courthouse where Trump is now appearing before a judge described his expression as "grim" and "solemn" as he made his way to the courtroom.

He did not respond to questions from reporters, or make any statements.

Before the arraignment gets underway, the New York Times reports the judge will hear from a lawyer representing several news organizations - including the Times itself - seeking greater access to the courtroom.

First photos emerge of Trump in court

Select media organisations were permitted to take five photos of Trump in the courtroom, before proceedings began.

Here is one of them, taken by Seth Wenig-Pool.

 Former U.S. President Donald Trump sits at the defense table with his defense team in a Manhattan court (Photo by Seth Wenig-Pool/Getty Images) Former U.S. President Donald Trump sits at the defense table with his defense team in a Manhattan court (Photo by Seth Wenig-Pool/Getty Images)
Former U.S. President Donald Trump sits at the defense table with his defense team in a Manhattan court (Photo by Seth Wenig-Pool/Getty Images)

Trump pleads not guilty

In court, Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, the Washington Post reports.

He pleaded not guilty to all of them.

Trump departs the courtroom, heads to airport

Former president Donald Trump did not respond to reporters’ shouted questions as he left the courtroom, the Washington Post reports.

His motorcade departed the courthouse within minutes. It is expected to head straight to LaGuardia airport for Trump's private plane to Mar-a-Lago, where he is expected to give a speech later in the evening.

Trump was likely not required to post bail, the New York Times reports, after a slew of bail reforms in the state which eliminated bail for most nonviolent crimes.

What do we know about Trump's charges?

Trump has been charged with - and pleaded not guilty to - 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, in what his indictment calls a conspiracy to undermine the 2016 election.

The New York Times reports the charges are class E felonies, which are the lowest category of felony offence in New York, and carry a maximum prison sentence of four years per count - totalling 136 years.

Trump has been charged with - and pleaded not guilty to - 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree (Photo by Seth Wenig-Pool/Getty Images)Trump has been charged with - and pleaded not guilty to - 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree (Photo by Seth Wenig-Pool/Getty Images)
Trump has been charged with - and pleaded not guilty to - 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree (Photo by Seth Wenig-Pool/Getty Images)

This would mean a maximum sentence of 136 years.

Under New York law, falsifying business records is generally just a misdemeanour, but prosecutors can escalate the charge when they believe a person falsified business records in order to commit another crime - or to hide the committing of a crime.

CNN reports the indictment against Trump alleged the former president was involved in a conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election.

Prosecutors alleged Trump was part of an unlawful plan to suppress negative information — including an illegal payment of $130,000 that was ordered by the defendant to suppress information that would hurt his campaign. 

The indictment alleges that the reason he committed the crime of falsifying business records was in part to “promote his candidacy."

Lawyer says Trump 'frustrated' and 'upset' after arraignment

Speaking outside court after the arraignment, Trump's attorney Todd Blanche told CNN his client is "frustrated" and "upset."

Blanche accused the prosecutor in this case of turning a "completely political issue" into a "political prosecution."

"It's not a good day... I don't expect this to happen in this country. You don't expect this to happen... to somebody who was the president of the United States," he said.

Blanche said "we're going to fight it, fight it hard”.

Trump will address the press himself from his Florida estate later this evening.

What next for Trump's case?

The next in-person hearing for this case will be on 4 December in New York.

Prosecutors raised concerns about Trump's social media posts to the judge, who did not issue any gag orders but warned both sides not to incite violence or civil unrest with their words.

Prosecutors have said they intend for porn actress Stormy Daniels to be a witness in the case against the former President.

Trump protests his innocence

Donald Trump returned to his Florida estate Mar-a-Lago following his appearance in a Manhattan courthouse where he delivered a primetime address to hundreds of supporters.

The former US President again protested his innocence and asserted on his Truth Social platform that the “hearing was shocking to many in that they had no ‘surprises’, and therefore, no case.”

He lashed out at the prosecution and attacked the prosecutor and the judge presiding over the case after pleading not guilty to 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in the first degree.

He told the crown: “I never thought anything like this could happen in America. This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election and it should be dropped immediately.”

“There is no case here"

Trump described his indictment as “a persecution, not an investigation” before saying “our heads are held very high”.

He went on to brand the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, an elected Democrat, as the “criminal” stating: “A local failed district attorney charging a former president of the United States for the first time in history on a basis that every single pundit and legal analyst said there is no case.

“There’s no case. They kept saying there’s no case. Virtually everyone. But it’s far worse than that because he knew there was no case.”

He added: “Hope is never lost because various prosecutors in the DA’s office also quit because they thought I was being treated unfairly. How about that? Isn’t that great? I love them. I would like to meet them. Meanwhile, overall crime in New York was up 30% last year - much more than that the year before, with felony assaults, robberies and burglaries all up by massive numbers.”

Who is Karen McDougal?

There has been a lot of coverage around Trump's alleged affair with adult entertainer Stormy Daniels, however much less detail around the payment to Playboy model Karen McDougal, which is also part of this case.

My colleague Alex Nelson has looked at who exactly is Karen McDougal, and what is her role in the story?

McDougal was born in 1977 in Merrillville, Indiana, and worked as a model for Playboy and various other magazines and brands. She gained media attention in 2018 for alleging that she had an affair with then US President Trump in 2006, around the same time that he had an affair with adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

Karen McDougal in 2010 (Photo: Getty Images)Karen McDougal in 2010 (Photo: Getty Images)
Karen McDougal in 2010 (Photo: Getty Images)

McDougal claimed that she had a 10-month romantic relationship with Trump, which began in 2006 after they met at a party at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles, where he was recording an episode of The Apprentice. She described the relationship to CNN as loving and consensual.

The alleged affair was said to have ended in 2007. Trump has denied the affair. In 2016, McDougal sold the rights to her story about her alleged affair with Trump to American Media, Inc., the parent company of the National Enquirer, for $150,000.

However, the company never published the story, a practice known as “catch and kill.” In 2018, McDougal filed a lawsuit to invalidate the agreement, alleging that she was misled about the terms of the deal and that it was intended to prevent her from speaking publicly about the alleged affair.

McDougal later reached a settlement with the National Enquirer, allowing her to speak freely about her story. McDougal has since been outspoken about her alleged relationship with Trump, and her story has been covered extensively in the media.

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