NEW YORK: Former President Donald Trump became the first American president to be indicted on criminal charges.
Amid a throng of reporters, Trump walked into a packed Manhattan courtroom, where he was officially hit with 34 criminal counts stemming from hush money paid to a former porn star during his 2016 election campaign.
Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges, including the felony of conspiracy and the payment intended to buy silence over an alleged affair.
Trump's legal troubles have already upended the 2024 White House campaign, and his response to the charges will undoubtedly continue to shape the political landscape.
He was expected to speak at length later, including at a campaign-style event after flying back to his estate in Florida. However, the spectacle played out on live television with rival protesters rallying outside, marking a watershed moment for the US criminal and political system in the year before an election in which Trump leads the race to be the Republican nominee.
Trump claimed that he was the victim of political persecution, while also using the opportunity to energize his support base and raise millions of dollars for his bid to reclaim the White House. Hundreds of people, including Trump supporters and anti-Trump demonstrators, apart from media persons and curious onlookers, gathered outside the venue. Police stepped into the fray as the pro- and anti-Trump people verged on a clash.
The charges against Trump revolve around the investigation of $130,000 paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels just days before Trump's election win.
Trump's former lawyer and aide Michael Cohen, who has turned against his ex-boss, said he arranged the payment to Daniels in exchange for her silence about a tryst she said she had with Trump in 2006. Legal experts suggest that if not properly accounted for, the payment could result in charges for falsifying business records, possibly for the purpose of covering up a campaign finance violation.
Trump is facing a series of separate criminal investigations at the state and federal level that could result in further, more serious charges between now and Election Day. These include his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state of Georgia, his handling of classified documents, and his possible involvement in the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Despite the severity of the charges, Republicans have largely rallied around Trump, with his rival in the party's presidential primary, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, calling the indictment un-American. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has been careful not to fuel Trump's claim of a politically weaponized judicial system, holding back over the indictment of his rival. The situation remains tense, with Trump's legal troubles continuing to capture the attention of the nation.
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