Donald Trump made a momentous courtroom appearance on Tuesday when he was confronted with a 34-count felony indictment charging him in a scheme to bury allegations of extramarital affairs that arose during his first White House campaign.
The arraignment in a Manhattan courtroom was a stunning - and humbling - spectacle for the first ex-president to ever face criminal charges.
The indictment centres on allegations that Mr Trump falsified internal business records at his private company while trying to cover up an effort to illegally influence the 2016 election by arranging payments that silenced claims potentially harmful to his candidacy.
Mr Trump, sombre and silent as he entered and exited the Manhattan courtroom, said "not guilty" in a firm voice.
As he returned to his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, where he delivered a primetime address to hundreds of supporters, Mr Trump again protested his innocence and asserted on his Truth Social platform that the "hearing was shocking to many in that they had no 'surprises', and therefore, no case."
"I never thought anything like this could happen in America," Mr Trump said of the New York indictment.
"This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election and it should be dropped immediately."
The next court date is December 4 - two months before Republicans begin their nominating process in earnest - and Mr Trump will again be expected to appear.
A conviction would not prevent Mr Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.
