Trump is the first former US President to be arrested on criminal charges. He was spared the ignominy of handcuffs and mugshot that are typically mandatory for felony charges, although he was reportedly fingerprinted. The judge hearing the case forbade live TV cameras in court after Trump drove to the court in a convoy from his penthouse in Trump Towers to surrender. He raised his fist in a gesture of defiance in the brief moment he was visible to cameras.
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Former US President Donald Trump pleads not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in court
Trump pleads not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records
Donald Trump, the former US president and frontrunner 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.
A deeply divided nation – and indeed the world – was riveted to pictures emerging from Manhattan as crowds of Trump’s MAGA supporters and his critics and opponents, separated by metal fence, lined the streets outside the courthouse chanting slogans and carrying posters and placards to express their feelings even as hundreds of NYC cops kept a sharp eye out for violence.
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Who is the porn star behind Donald Trump’s indictment
Given that some Trump supporters had warned of violence against prosecuting authorities, the Manhattan DA’s office website went so far as to remove its “Meet Our Team” page to forestall threats. Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him by district attorney Alvin Bragg, while demanding that the case be shifted out of the Manhattan jurisdiction because it is a heavily Democratic borough. Most of the charges are said to relate to falsification of business records as Trump allegedly paid off porn star Stormy Daniels in order to buy her silence after a one-night stand so that his 2016 White House bid would not be jeopardised. Trump claims no such affair took place although his own former attorney and the adult entertainer have confirmed it.
In a Truth Social post Monday night, the former President fumed: “D.A. BRAGG JUST ILLEGALLY LEAKED THE 33 points of Indictment. There are no changes or surprises from those he leaked days ago directly out of the Grand Jury. No Crime by Trump. What a MESS. Bragg should resign. NOW!” Shortly before his arraignment, he posted, “Heading to Lower Manhattan, the courthouse. Seems so SURREAL – WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can’t believe this is happening in America. MAGA!”
The case, a political lightning rod in America, could drag on for weeks if not months with potential clashes over jurisdiction and jury selection before it goes to trial. The district attorney will have to prove its felony case although the charge of falsification of business records is typically a misdemeanour in New York state. Under the New York State penal code, a conviction for Class E felony of falsifying business records can reportedly result in a prison term of up to four years, although first time offenders are seldom sentenced.
Typical of the divided country, polls run by liberal outlets like CNN showed a majority of the nation (60%) approve of the indictment, while surveys by conservative platforms showed strong support for Trump and his argument that this is a “political witchhunt”.
The CNN poll showed Independents largely supporting of the indictment (62% approving; 38% disapproving). Democrats were near universal in their support for the indictment (94% approve, including 71% who strongly approve of the indictment, with Republicans less unified in opposition (79% disapprove, with 54% strongly disapproving). Beyond anodyne and partisan polls, there was political theater on the streets as Trump and his acolytes tried to make capital of the spectacle. In fact, Rolling Stones magazine reported that Trump was given the option to be arraigned over Zoom, but he chose the option of flying into NYC and driving to the courthouse to surrender and be arraigned in person in order “to dominate the news cycle and suck every penny from his followers by painting himself as a victim,” one critic said.
While the immediate fallout of the spectacle will be further polarisation in American politics, the long-term effect will be the end of the halo that sounds the US presidency, generally seen as an imperial office in which both incumbents and retirees are beyond the pale of law. Already demands are going up for criminal charges against President Biden and his son for alleged felonies.