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Trump Arrested, Arraigned on 34 Felony Charges in Manhattan Criminal Court

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Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 34 counts of falsifying business records, in the first-ever criminal arraignment of a former U.S. president.

Trump surrendered at a New York courthouse and then was arraigned on charges related to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s hush money payment probe. Trump exited the courthouse shortly before 3:30 p.m. ET and flew home to his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.

Trump is not due back in court until December, according to NBC News.

He was indicted Thursday, and the charges were unsealed during the arraignment Tuesday. The 34 felony counts relate to his alleged role in a scheme that directed hush money payments to two women during the 2016 election.

Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen is known to have facilitated payments to two women in order to keep them silent about alleged affairs with Trump: former adult film star Stormy Daniels and ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal.

Former President Donald Trump sits at the defense table with his defense team in a Manhattan court, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in New York. Trump is set to appear in a New York City courtroom on charges related to falsifying business records in a hush money investigation, the first president ever to be charged with a crime. Seth Wenig | AP

Trump appeared before acting New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan on Tuesday. Photos from the courtroom showed a deflated Trump sitting among his legal team.

The ex-president, meanwhile, plans to travel back to his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida after the hearing and deliver remarks there.

Trump denies the claim by Daniels, whose given name is Stephanie Clifford, that she had sex with him one time in 2006. He also denies wrongdoing related to the $130,000 payment Cohen gave her to keep quiet about the alleged tryst.

Former US President Donald Trump arrives at criminal court in New York, US, on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. Alex Kemp | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on the day of his court appearance in New York after being indicted by a Manhattan grand jury following a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, in Palm Beach, Florida, April 4, 2023. Marco Bello | Reuters

Trump said he did not commit crimes in New York — and denied wrongdoing in three other criminal investigations hanging over his bid to reclaim the White House next year.

“The only crime I have committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it,” the former president told supporters at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida hours after pleading not guilty to 34 felony counts at a Manhattan courthouse.

Early in his remarks, Trump painted himself as a victim of long-running schemes to discredit him for political gain. Trump jumped between grievances in a campaign-style speech, attacking Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and other major officials leading criminal or civil probes of his conduct: Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

The ex-president drilled into familiar foes in his 2016 presidential opponent Hillary Clinton and President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter. He also repeated the conspiracy theory that widespread fraud led to his 2020 election loss against Biden, and made unfounded claims that the U.S. economy is on the brink of collapse.

In assessing the Manhattan charges, Trump noted that Bragg may have trouble proving his case — a view expressed by some legal experts outside of Trump’s orbit.

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