The former U.S. President, Donald Trump, and the front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, arrived in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday, where he was set to appear in court for his arraignment hearing.
The businessman-turned-politician was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury last week on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
The charges stem from an investigation into hush money paid to a porn star, which Trump has repeatedly denied.
Wearing a dark blue suit and red tie, Trump, who is 76 years old, arrived at the courthouse in a motorcade from his New York residence at Trump Tower.
Upon his arrival, Trump exhibited little emotion on his face as he waved to a crowd of supporters who had assembled outside the courthouse to show their support.
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.
Trump’s lawyers had urged the judge to block any videography, photography, and radio coverage of the arraignment, arguing it would worsen “an already almost circus-like atmosphere.”
However, five photographers were admitted to the courtroom to take pictures for several minutes.
A photo taken by a photographer in the courtroom showed Trump sitting at the defense table, flanked by lawyers.
The first sitting or former U.S. 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.
Trump was fingerprinted, but no mugshot photo was taken, according to a Twitter post by a New York Times reporter.
Trump, who served as president from 2017 to 2021, in November announced a bid to regain the presidency in 2024 in a bid to deny Democratic President Joe Biden, who beat him in 2020, a second term in the White House.
Legal experts have stated that any trial is at least more than a year away.
Being indicted or even convicted does not legally prevent Trump from running for president. Nevertheless, the charges could cast a shadow over his possible candidacy.
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 Trump paid hush money to Daniels, but half said the charges were politically motivated.
The Manhattan grand jury that indicted Trump heard evidence about a $130,000 payment to Daniels, who alleged that she had an affair with Trump in 2006.
Prosecutors have accused Trump of directing the hush money to be paid to her shortly before the 2016 presidential election to keep her from speaking publicly about the affair.
Trump’s legal woes do not end with the charges in Manhattan.
He is also facing a criminal investigation in Georgia over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, as well as several civil lawsuits, including a defamation lawsuit from writer E. Jean Carroll, who alleges that Trump raped her in a dressing room at a New York department store in the 1990s.
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 legal analysts predict that Trump will likely continue to fight the charges, claiming his innocence and arguing that the charges are politically motivated.
However, legal experts also note that the evidence against him appears to be strong, and that he could face serious legal consequences if convicted.
The charges against Trump stem from an investigation into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, who alleges that she had an affair with Trump in 2006.
The payments were made just weeks before the 2016 presidential election, and prosecutors allege that they were intended to keep Daniels from going public with her story and potentially damaging Trump’s campaign.
In addition to the charges related to the hush money payments, Trump also faces other legal woes.
He is currently under investigation by multiple state and federal authorities, including the New York attorney general’s office and the Manhattan district attorney’s office, for a range of alleged financial crimes and other offenses.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly claimed that he is the victim of a political witch hunt.
He has also been a vocal critic of the Biden administration, accusing Democrats of trying to undermine his legacy and silence his supporters.
Despite the charges against him, Trump remains a major force in the Republican Party and a likely contender for the party’s presidential nomination in 2024.
He has already announced his intention to run for president again, and recent polls show him leading the pack of potential Republican candidates.
As the legal drama continues to unfold, many Americans are watching closely to see how it will affect Trump’s political fortunes and his legacy as one of the most controversial and divisive figures in modern American politics.
