Donald Trump, the former president and front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records after an investigation into hush money paid to a porn star.
Trump entered the Manhattan courtroom to be formally charged on Tuesday in a watershed moment for the United States as his supporters and detractors noisily rallied outside.
Charges against Donald Trump
Taken together, the charges carry a maximum sentence of more than 100 years in prison under New York law but an actual prison sentence if he is convicted at a trial would almost certainly be far less than that.
While falsifying business records in New York on its own is a misdemeanor punishable by no more than one year in prison, it is elevated to a felony punishable by up to four years in prison when done to advance or conceal another crime.
Wearing a dark blue suit and red tie, Trump, 76, exhibited little emotion on his face when he waved to a crowd assembled outside the courthouse after he was driven in a motorcade from his New York residence at Trump Tower.
Trump, who has called the charges politically motivated, held his fist in the air in a gesture to reporters as he departed Trump Tower.
Looking somber, Trump said nothing as he walked past police and through a hallway in the courthouse before entering the courtroom for the arraignment proceeding.
"Today (Tuesday) is the day that a ruling political party ARRESTS its leading opponent for having committed NO CRIME," Trump, who flew to New York from Florida on Monday, said in a fundraising email sent out on Tuesday morning.
The arraignment, where Trump will be in court to hear charges and have a chance to enter a plea, was planned for 2:15 p.m. (1815 GMT) on Tuesday and was likely to be brief.
The first sitting or former US president to face criminal charges, Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury last week in a case stemming from a 2016 hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, though the specific charges had yet to be disclosed.
From his motorcade, Trump posted on social media: "Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL - WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can't believe this is happening in America."
Trump was due to surrender to the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg before an arraignment proceeding before Justice Juan Merchan. At an arraignment, a defendant hears charges and can enter a plea. Trump was fingerprinted but no mugshot photo was taken, according to a Twitter post by a New York Times reporter.
In other social media posts ahead of the arraignment, Trump renewed his attacks on Merchan, who last year presided over a trial in which Trump's real estate company was convicted of tax fraud.
"It won't be a long day in court," Joseph Tacopina, one of Trump's lawyers, said on ABC.
Yahoo News late on Monday reported that Trump would face 34 felony counts for falsification of business records.
Any trial is at least more than a year away, legal experts said.
Being indicted or even convicted does not legally prevent Trump from running for president.
The White House remained mum on the drama in New York.
"I think the American people should feel reassured that when there is an ongoing case like this one that we're just not commenting," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.
Five photographers will be admitted to the courtroom before the arraignment starts to take pictures for several minutes. Trump's lawyers had urged a judge to keep them out, arguing they would worsen "an already almost circus-like atmosphere."
Some Trump supporters and detractors gathered outside the courthouse ahead of the arraignment amid tight security. A video posted on Twitter by a BuzzFeed reporter showed two female Trump supporters, one of them draped in a US flag, tussling with another woman over a large black banner outside the courthouse that read, "TRUMP LIES ALL THE TIME," before police intervened.
The Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat who led the investigation, is set to give a news conference afterward the arraignment. Trump and his allies have portrayed the case as politically motivated.
Trump will return to Florida and deliver remarks from his Mar-a-Lago resort at 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday (0015 GMT on Wednesday), his office said.
'Control yourselves,' Mayor says
Bragg has faced harsh criticism from Trump and his office has received bomb threats in recent weeks. Security officials have said they were not aware of credible threats surrounding Trump's courtroom appearance.
Mayor Eric Adams warned potential rabble-rousers to behave.
"Our message is clear and simple: Control yourselves. New York City is our home, not a playground for your misplaced anger," Adams told reporters on Monday.
President Joe Biden, a Democrat who is widely expected to seek re-election and face a potential 2024 rematch against Trump, said he had faith in the New York police.
Trump's lead has widened over rivals in the Republican Party's presidential nominating contest, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday, conducted after news broke that he would face criminal charges.
Some 48% of Republicans say they want Trump to be their party's presidential nominee, up from 44% last month. Second-place Florida Governor Ron DeSantis fell from 30% to around 19%.
The case has divided people in New York, where Trump's name is emblazoned on buildings related to his business ventures.
"It's a terrific day. I hope it goes well and that he is eventually found guilty," said New Jersey resident Robert Hoatson, 71, outside Trump Tower, where Trump stayed on Monday.
Susan Miller said she hoped the show of support would "give him a little strength."
"He's honest as the day is long," Miller said.
Trump urges venue change
In a social media post, Trump said Manhattan Criminal Court was a "very unfair venue" and urged that the case be moved to the New York City borough of Staten Island, which regularly votes Republican. It was unclear whether Trump's lawyers would argue in court on Tuesday for a change of venue.
Trump will return to Florida and deliver remarks from his Mar-a-Lago resort at 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday (0015 GMT on Wednesday), his office said.
Among the pro-Trump demonstrators was Gina Witcher, 55, of Maryland.
"We feel like this is a very scary indictment," Witcher said, accusing Democratic prosecutors of going after conservatives for political reasons.
New Jersey resident Susan Cerbo, 55, wore an American flag cowboy hat as she and her sister stood on the steps of a church across the street from Trump Tower holding a "Trump for President" banner.
"Honestly, he's just targeted because he's a presidential candidate," Cerbo said. "If you can do it to him with all his money and power, they can do it to any citizen of the United States."
Manhattan resident Kim Britt, 69, was among the anti-Trump demonstrators.
"If anyone is above the law, then we're not going to get anywhere," said Britt, holding a sign reading, "Tick Tock Time's Up!"
Bragg has faced harsh criticism from Trump. His office has received bomb threats in recent weeks. Security officials said they were unaware of credible threats surrounding Trump's courtroom appearance.
Trump's lead has widened over rivals in the Republican Party's presidential nominating contest, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday, conducted after news broke that he would face criminal charges.
Some 48% of Republicans say they want Trump to be their party's presidential nominee, up from 44% last month. Second-place Florida Governor Ron DeSantis fell from 30% to around 19%. More than two-thirds of poll respondents said they believed that Trump paid hush money to Daniels, but half said they thought the charges were politically motivated.
Multiple legal woes
The Manhattan grand jury that indicted Trump heard evidence about a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the waning days of the 2016 presidential campaign. Daniels has said she was paid to keep silent about a sexual encounter she had with Trump at a Lake Tahoe hotel in 2006.
Trump denies a sexual relationship but has acknowledged reimbursing his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen for the payment. In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to federal campaign finance law violations and was sentenced to three years in prison. He testified in the Manhattan investigation last month.
Trump hired Todd Blanche, a prominent criminal defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor, to join his legal team, two sources said.
Trump also faces a separate criminal probe into whether he unlawfully tried to overturn his 2020 election defeat in the state of Georgia, and investigations by the Justice Department into the election and his handling of classified documents after leaving office.
Trump's campaign raised $7 million in the three days after word of the indictment emerged last Thursday, according to senior adviser Jason Miller.
Leading potential challengers for the nomination, including DeSantis and Trump's former vice president Mike Pence, have publicly rallied around Trump in recent days. Only one 2024 rival, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, has said Trump should drop out of the race.