Tuesday afternoon, Donald J. Trump, the 45th President of the United States turned himself in to the Manhattan district attorney’s office to be placed under arrest ahead of a historic arraignment for charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and conspiracy relating to a hush money payments made to two women during his 2016 presidential campaign. He has plead not guilty to all counts, making the plea himself while attorney Todd Blanche spoke in his defense. He also denies any affair with either of the women. Trump, who is currently campaigning for re-election in 2024, is the first president in American history to be arrested and face criminal charges.
Around 1:24 p.m. EST Trump entered the New York courthouse which marked his official arrest after his indictment last Thursday by a New York grand jury. There he was fingerprinted and processed by New York Police ahead of the arraignment, but it remains unclear whether or not a mugshot was taken.
Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan is overseeing the legal proceedings of this case, and banned video cameras from the courtroom for today’s arraignment, although many news outlets such as CNN, the Washington Post and many others saying in a letter to the courts, “the gravity of this proceeding – the unprecedented and historic arraignment of a former U.S. President – and, consequently, the need for the broadest possible public access, cannot be overstated.” Even though live video was denied, Merchan allowed still photos to be taken inside the court room before the official proceedings began.
Trump exited the courtroom at 3:25 p.m. and left the courthouse just before 3:30 p.m., making the arraignment about a 45 minute affair as reported from people inside the courtroom. Trump is expected to return to Florida and give a speech tonight upon his arrival at Mar-a-Lago.
