From Whitehouse to Courthouse: Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony criminal charges during his arraignment in Manhattan, New York.

Updated April 5, 2023, 3:32 AM EAT

By Ruzeki, Shadow News 

What to know 

• The former US President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony criminal charges of falsifying business records in Manhattan criminal court Tuesday afternoon. 
• The next in-person hearing date for Trump’s case in New York is currently set for December 4, 2023. 
• Tuesday's appearance was quick and routine but it represented a historic moment in the US history. 
• On Tuesday, the former US president Donald Trump was arraigned at a Manhattan courthouse on charges related to the Stormy Daniels hush money case. 
• Last week, a Manhattan grand jury convened by the District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office voted to indict Donald Trump. Mr Trump is the first former U.S. president to be criminally charged. 
• New York City ramped up security measures during Mr Trump's arraignment. The former president and his MAGA allies had called for protests, echoing rhetoric from the lead-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol Hill. 

New York — Donald Trump surrendered and was placed under arrest Tuesday before he was arraigned in a historic and unprecedented court appearance, in which the former president heard the charges against him for the first time. 

While the arraignment was routine, the case is now poised to linger over Trump’s 2024 candidacy as he fights the charges both in court and in public. 

Prosecutors alleged that Trump sought to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election through a hush money scheme with payments made to women who claimed they had extramarital affairs with Donald Trump. He has denied the affairs. 

Donald 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 the negative information that would hurt his campaign, prosecutors alleged. 

According to the charging documents, Donald J. Trump repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election. 

After the arraignment, Mr Trump immediately flew back to his Mar-a-Lago resort, Florida. Where he held an event with his supporters Tuesday evening. 

Donald Trump made his public case against the indictment and previewed how he intends to fight against the charges politically as he runs again for the White House in 2024. 

During Tuesday’s arraignment, Judge Juan Merchan warned Mr Trump not to make comments that could jeopardize the rule of law or create civil unrest. 

Later that evening, Mr Trump railed against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Judge Juan Merchan. 

In his speech, Donald Trump said he never thought anything like that could happen in America. The only crime that he's committed was to fearlessly defend their nation from those who seek to destroy it. He added, it was an insult to the country. 

The indictment was quickly criticized by Trump’s Republican allies, and even some legal experts raised questions about the case. 

After the arraignment, Mr Bragg said at a news conference that the indictment did not specify what laws Trump broke because “the law does not require so. 

Bragg highlighted one law that Mr Trump allegedly broke during the conference: New York state election law. What makes it a crime to conspire to promote a candidacy by unlawful means. He also mentioned violations of a federal election law capping contribution limits. 

Mr Trump responded to the judge when directed to do so during the arraignment and made the not guilty plea himself. 

Donald Trump's voice was measured in the courtroom. He walked in slowly scanning the reporters in the courtroom and looked at the judge when he was speaking. 

The next in-person hearing date for Donald Trump’s case is currently set for December 4, 2023 in New York. 

In addition to the indictment, a 13-page statement of facts detailed how Mr Trump allegedly committed crimes to help him get elected to the White House in 2016 presidential election. 

According to the indictment, each criminal charge Donald Trump is facing relates to a specific entry among the business records of the Trump Organization.