A stone-faced Donald Trump made a momentous court appearance Tuesday as the only ex-president to be charged with a crime as he was confronted with a 34-count felony indictment accusing him in a scheme to bury allegations of extramarital affairs during his first White House campaign.
The arraignment in a Manhattan courtroom was a stunning -- and humbling -- spectacle for the former president, putting him face-to-face with prosecutors who bluntly accused him of criminal conduct and setting the stage for a possible criminal trial in the city where he decades ago became a celebrity.
The indictment centers on allegations that 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. It includes 34 counts of fudging records related to checks Trump sent to his personal lawyer and problem-solver to reimburse him for his role in paying off a porn actor who said she had an extramarital sexual encounter with Trump years earlier.
"The defendant, Donald J. Trump, falsified New York business records in order to conceal an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 presidential election and other violations of election laws," said Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy.
Trump, somber and silent as he entered and exited the Manhattan courtroom, said "not guilty" in a firm voice while facing a judge who warned him to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest. All told, the ever-verbose Trump, who for weeks before Tuesday's arraignment had assailed the case against him as political persecution, uttered only 10 words -- though he did appear to glare for a period at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the prosecutor who brought the case.
As he returned to his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, where he delivered a primetime address to hundreds of supporters, 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."
In his speech, Trump lashed out anew at the prosecution and attacked in bitter terms the prosecutor and the judge presiding over the case despite being admonished hours earlier about incendiary rhetoric. In a sign of his deepening legal woes, Trump also steered his speech into a broadside against a separate Justice Department investigation into the mishandling of classified documents.
"I never thought anything like this could happen in America," 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 crowd at Mar-a-Lago included supporters like failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and longtime ally Roger Stone. Trump's wife, Melania, was not present.
Even so, the indictment amounts to a remarkable reckoning for Trump after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings. It shows how even as Trump is looking to reclaim the White House in 2024, he is shadowed by investigations related to his behavior in the two prior elections, with prosecutors in Atlanta and Washington scrutinizing efforts by Trump and his allies to undo the 2020 presidential election -- probes that could produce even more charges.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump waves to supporters upon arriving at Trump Tower in New York, on April 3, 2023. (Yuki Iwamura /AP)
In the New York case, each count of falsifying business records, a felony, is punishable by up to four years in prison -- though it's not clear if a judge would impose any prison time if Trump is convicted. The next court date is December 4 -- two months before Republicans begin their nominating process in earnest -- and Trump will again be expected to appear.
A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.
The arraignment also delved into Trump's rhetoric on the case, with prosecutors at one point handing printouts of his social media posts to the judge and defense lawyers as Trump looked on. Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan did not impose a gag order but told Trump's lawyers to urge him to refrain from posts that could encourage unrest.
The broad contours of the case have long been known, focusing on scheme that prosecutors say began months into his candidacy in 2015, as his celebrity past collided with his presidential ambitions.
Though prosecutors expressed confidence in the case, a conviction is no sure thing given the legal complexities of the allegations, the application of state election laws to a federal election and prosecutors' likely reliance on a key witness, Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to false statements.
It centers on payoffs to two women, porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal, who said they had extramarital sexual encounters with Trump years earlier, as well as to a Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child he alleged the former president had out of of wedlock.
"It's not just about one payment. It is 34 false statements and business records that were concealing criminal conduct," Bragg told reporters, when asked how the three separate cases were connected.
All 34 counts against Trump are linked to a series of checks that were written to Cohen to reimburse him for his role in paying off Daniels. Those payments, made over 12 months, were recorded in various internal company documents as being for a legal retainer that prosecutors say didn't exist. Cohen testified before the grand jury and is expected to be a star prosecution witness.
Nine of those monthly checks were paid out of Trump's personal accounts, but records related to them were maintained in the Trump Organization's data system.
Prosecutors allege that the first instance of Trump directing hush money payments came in the fall of 2015, when a former Trump Tower doorman was trying to sell information about an alleged out-of-wedlock child fathered by Trump.
David Pecker, a Trump friend and the publisher of the National Enquirer, made a $30,000 payment to the doorman to acquire the exclusive rights to the story, pursuant to an agreement to protect Trump during his presidential campaign, according to the indictment. Pecker's company later determined the doorman's story was false, but is alleged to have enforced the doorman's confidentiality at Cohen's urging until after Election Day.
Trump denies having sexual liaisons with both Daniels and McDougal and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.
After his arraignment, Trump was returning to his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, for a primetime address to campaign supporters. At least 500 prominent supporters have been invited, with some of the most pro-Trump congressional Republicans expected to attend.
The day's schedule, with its striking blend of legal and political calendar items, represents the new split-screen reality for Trump as he submits to the dour demands of the American criminal justice system while projecting an aura of defiance and victimhood at celebratory campaign events.
Former U.S. president Donald Trump sits at the defence table with his defence team in a Manhattan court, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Wearing his signature dark suit and red tie, Trump turned and waved to crowds outside the building before heading inside to be fingerprinted and processed. He arrived at court in an eight-car motorcade from Trump Tower, communicating in real time his anger at the process.
"Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse," he posted on his Truth Social platform. "Seems so SURREAL -- WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can't believe this is happening in America. MAGA!"
Afterward, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche told reporters that it was a "sad day for the country."
"You don't expect this to happen to somebody who was president of the United States," he said.
New York police said they were ready for large protests by Trump supporters, who share the Republican former president's belief that the New York grand jury indictment and three additional pending investigations are politically motivated and intended to weaken his bid to retake the White House in 2024. Journalists often outnumbered protesters, though.
Trump, a former reality TV star, has been hyping that narrative to his political advantage, saying he raised more than $8 million in the days since the indictment on claims of a "witch hunt." His campaign released a fundraising request titled "My last email before arrest" and he has repeatedly assailed Bragg, egged on supporters to protest and claimed without evidence that the judge presiding over the case "hates me" -- something his own lawyer has said is not true.
------
Tucker and Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press journalists Jill Colvin, Bobby Caina Calvan, Larry Neumeister, Karen Matthews, Larry Fleisher, Deepti Hajela, Julie Walker, Ted Shaffrey, David R. Martin, Joe Frederick and Robert Bumsted in New York; Colleen Long and Michael Balsamo in Washington; Adriana Gomez Licon in Palm Beach, Florida; and Terry Spencer in Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.
The teenager who is sick with the first-ever human case of avian influenza acquired in Canada is in hospital in critical condition, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday.
President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency” in his second administration.
The case of the missing butter remains a mystery, but some have ideas on what's behind the unusual crimes.
Former B.C. premier John Horgan, a popular leader renowned for his affable personality and dedicated public service, has died
The woman accused of killing three people in three days in three Ontario cities also previously admitted to attacking strangers on buses in the Region of Waterloo.
Getting to destinations in the U.S., Europe and North Africa is about to get easier, as Air Canada announced it will be increasing flights to a number of new destinations this summer.
The body of a man that was found in a park in the Ahunstic-Cartierville borough last month has been identified as cryptocurrency influencer Kevin Mirshahi.
Saint Mary's University archeologist Jonathan Fowler is sounding an alarm with a new study. According to Fowler, the centuries-old architecture that adds to Halifax’s heritage and historic vibe is slowly being wiped away as the city grows.
A young gorilla at the Calgary Zoo has died. The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo announced a member of its western lowland gorilla troop passed away unexpectedly, in a news release Tuesday.
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service is warning Whistler residents and visitors not to feed or approach black bears after a recent close encounter was caught on video.
There were nearly one million more visits to Toronto food banks this year compared to last, continuing a trend of rising demand that has been seen since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The cost of policing in the Municipality of Brockton just went way up.
Getting to destinations in the U.S., Europe and North Africa is about to get easier, as Air Canada announced it will be increasing flights to a number of new destinations this summer.
The body of a man that was found in a park in the Ahunstic-Cartierville borough last month has been identified as cryptocurrency influencer Kevin Mirshahi.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he wants to see a bilateral trade deal between Canada and the U.S. if Mexico doesn’t crack down on “unfair” Chinese auto imports into North America.
President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency” in his second administration.
A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced a Massachusetts Air National Guard member to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to leaking highly classified military documents about the war in Ukraine.
A Wisconsin man apparently faked his own drowning this summer so he could abandon his family and flee to eastern Europe, investigators say.
Peanut, the social media star squirrel at the center of a national furor after it was seized from its owner in upstate New York and euthanized, has tested negative for rabies, a county official said Tuesday.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday that it will prohibit U.S. airlines from flying to Haiti for 30 days after gangs shot a Spirit Airlines plane and the United Nations will temporarily suspend flights to Port-au-Prince, limiting humanitarian aid coming into the country.
President-elect Donald Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel, Trump announced Tuesday.
The union representing locked-out port workers in British Columbia says it plans to challenge the federal government's intervention in the ongoing labour dispute.
Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon says the federal government currently has no plans to intervene in negotiations after the union representing Canada Post workers issued a 72-hour strike notice.
Canada has announced changes to their visitor visa policies, effectively ending the automatic issuance of 10-year multiple-entry visas, according to new rules outlined by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
The teenager who is sick with the first-ever human case of avian influenza acquired in Canada is in hospital in critical condition, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday.
Details of a proposed law to legalize assisted dying in England and Wales have been published, rekindling debate on the controversial topic ahead of a vote in Parliament later this month.
Dr. Ronald Weiss, who performed nearly 60,000 vasectomies on Ottawa men, establishing him as the "Wayne Gretzky" of the procedure, has died.
The federal government is opening a research centre that will study risks posed by artificial intelligence technology.
Artificial intelligence tools can now superimpose a person’s face onto a nude body, or manipulate existing photos to make it look as if a person is not wearing clothes. Here's how to protect yourself.
African elephants are Earth's largest land animals, remarkable mammals that are very intelligent and highly social. They also are in peril.
Canada's major film and TV unions are pressuring Telefilm to only fund productions that sign collective agreements.
Eminem, Boy George, George Clinton, Sheryl Crow, Janet Jackson, the Doobie Brothers, N.W.A. and Alanis Morissette are among the nominees for the 2025 class at the Songwriters Hall of Fame, an eclectic group of rap, rock, hip-hop and pop pioneers.
Timothee Chalamet has shared a story that makes clear women in Hollywood aren't the only ones being judged for their physical appearances.
A small business advocacy group is re-upping calls to eliminate the carbon tax, after it says members learned the Canada carbon rebate for small businesses is a taxable benefit.
KFC accused Church's Texas Chicken of violating its trademark rights when its fried chicken competitor began using the words 'Original Recipe' in its advertising and promotions.
Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon says the federal government currently has no plans to intervene in negotiations after the union representing Canada Post workers issued a 72-hour strike notice.
My Little Pony finally made it to the winner's circle.
Four years ago, Phill Hebb started up "Phil’s Unique Birdhouses" and since then, they’ve made their way all across Canada and into the United States.
In the Australian city Geelong, just south of Melbourne, thousands are lining up for the rare chance to see – and smell – an unusual plant.
Canada's privacy commissioner is launching an investigation into the World Anti-Doping Agency. The move comes after Philippe Dufresne's office received a complaint about the Montreal-based agency's handling of biological samples collected from athletes.
Bev Priestman is out as coach of the Canadian women's soccer team in the wake of an independent report into the Olympic drone-spying scandal.
After a homestand that featured two shutouts and four straight wins, the Winnipeg Jets are looking to channel that success on the road, as they have one game on home ice for the rest of November.
Select Porsche owners in Canada have been told to stop driving their cars immediately and to seek repairs after an issue was identified that could cause wheels to separate from vehicles.
A driver's trip from London, Ont. to Ottawa to visit their girlfriend ended in a traffic stop for speeding on Highway 417, according to police.
Recall notices have been issued for some Volkswagen models from 2006 to 2019 for airbag safety issues.
Four years ago, Phill Hebb started up "Phil’s Unique Birdhouses" and since then, they’ve made their way all across Canada and into the United States.
A New Brunswick fashion designer recently won the top prize at a national event for a dress she made using an unconventional material.
Dr. Ronald Weiss, who performed nearly 60,000 vasectomies on Ottawa men, establishing him as the "Wayne Gretzky" of the procedure, has died.
A congestion crisis, a traffic nightmare, or unrelenting gridlock -- whatever you call it, most agree that Toronto has a congestion problem. To alleviate some of the gridlock, the Ontario government has announced it plans to remove bike lanes from three major roadways.
For the second year in a row, the ‘Gift-a-Family’ campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.
Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.
A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.
As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.
A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts – not for themselves, but for those in need.
Popular leader John Horgan, who died Tuesday at 65-years-old following a battle with cancer, is already being remembered as the people's premier.
Tennessee crooner Jelly Roll has announced the dates of his “Beautifully Broken Great Northern Tour of Canada”, with his first pitstop set for Victoria.
Former B.C. premier John Horgan, a popular leader renowned for his affable personality and dedicated public service, has died
Police say 23 people are in custody after at least 100 shots were fired in an exchange of gunfire outside a West Queen West recording studio on Monday night.
A youth is in life-threatening condition following a stabbing in Mississauga Tuesday night.
Police have released new video footage that shows a vehicle speeding through a red light and crashing into another vehicle in Markham after its driver was reportedly struck by a rock and rendered unconscious.
A young gorilla at the Calgary Zoo has died. The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo announced a member of its western lowland gorilla troop passed away unexpectedly, in a news release Tuesday.
Sharp increases in dairy prices are slicing profits for businesses that use a lot of butter.
Madame Premier in Inglewood relies solely on Canada Post to ship products to its customer base across Canada...
The principal of an Ottawa high school is apologizing to students, parents and guardians after an Arabic-language song was played during the school's Remembrance Day service. The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is conducting a "thorough investigation" to ensure it "is addressed appropriately and meaningfully."
Postal workers could walk off the job or Canada Post could lock them out as soon as 12:01 a.m. Friday if they don't reach an agreement.
Bentley, a four-year-old springer-spaniel dog who went missing in Manotick earlier this month, has been found.
A former Saint-Laurent high school basketball coach pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting a student on Tuesday.
The body of a man that was found in a park in the Ahunstic-Cartierville borough last month has been identified as cryptocurrency influencer Kevin Mirshahi.
Montreal’s transit authority (STM) is facing backlash over its decision to close the Cabot Square entrance to the Atwater Metro station for the winter, a move that local organizations say limits crucial access to warmth and shelter for the city’s unhoused population.
Alberta Sheriffs have shut down a Beaumont home that has "long been associated with drug and criminal activity in the community."
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is on the heels of yet another career milestone and he's among the fastest to do so.
The Canadian Condominium Institute (CCI) North Alberta isn't happy with Edmonton's rollout of its new waste collection program to apartments and condos.
The Nova Scotia Liberal Party has filed a complaint with Elections Nova Scotia, accusing a Progressive Conservative candidate of trying to buy votes by allegedly handing out gift cards outside of a Tim Hortons.
New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt confirmed Tuesday that her newly elected Liberal government will draft a carbon pricing plan that will be submitted for Ottawa's approval.
Halifax Regional Council is now back in session with a new mayor and several new councillors.
A facility helping those in recovery reconnect with their loved ones rallied outside a south Winnipeg condo building Tuesday, in a fight to stay in the suites.
The City of Winnipeg is alerting the public of service changes if Canada Post workers walk off the job.
A weeklong closure of Portage Avenue East is set to begin Tuesday to allow for pre-construction traffic signal work at Portage and Main.
The trial of 49-year-old Ruben Manz recommenced on Tuesday morning, with the cross examination of the fourth witness. She was another former patient of the chiropractor who alleges that she was sexually assaulted during what Manz claimed to be a neck stretch in 2016.
The University of Regina Rams are used to being the underdog at this point in their season. However, the team is subverting expectations and driving further and further into the post-season for the first time in two decades.
The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) is sharing more details regarding a fatal rollover in Moose Jaw late this week.
The woman accused of killing three people in three days in three Ontario cities also previously admitted to attacking strangers on buses in the Region of Waterloo.
The threat of a strike by Canada Post workers has small businesses in Waterloo Region feeling the pressure.
The case of the missing butter remains a mystery, but some have ideas on what's behind the unusual crimes.
Saskatoon police stats show incidents of property damage like smashed windows have risen in some neighbourhoods over most of the last five years, leaving businesses coping with the cost.
Hundreds of employees from Saskatoon’s nine public libraries went on strike Tuesday.
The Saskatoon Fire Department was called in for a rescue on Monday after a man got stuck inside a garbage truck.
The 18-year-old man accused in a vicious attack on his ex-girlfriend in Cobalt last week was sentenced to house arrest five days before the Nov. 3 assault.
The North Bay Regional Health Centre said Tuesday that it "is experiencing an unprecedented surge in patient volumes, resulting in a bed crisis."
City staff in Greater Sudbury have received numerous requests from residents to have automated speed enforcement cameras set up in their neighbourhoods.
Nearly a year ago, Loubani was arrested and charged with mischief for spraying ketchup on the exterior of Member of Parliament Peter Fragiskatos’ office. He spent a night at the holding cells inside London Police Service Headquarters.
The cost of policing in the Municipality of Brockton just went way up.
On Tuesday, from 9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Richmond St. will be closed at Central Ave. to facilitate the installation of temporary traffic signals.
South Simcoe police were called to a residence in an Innisfil neighbourhood on Friday for medical service involving an infant.
One person was hospitalized after a fire broke out in a garage and spread to the attached home in Springwater Township.
Sparks flew at the County of Simcoe Tuesday morning during budget deliberations, with Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall making an impromptu address in council chambers.
Many sectors and Transit Windsor may feel the pinch as the finance committee budget review looks for ways to lower the proposed property tax increase for 2025.
The federal government announced on Tuesday it's investing over $25 million towards four Ontario projects, funded under the Green Shipping Corridor Program, including a multi-million-dollar project at Sterling Fuels in Windsor.
Five years after a fire forced residents to flee Westcourt Place in Windsor, the high-rise remains vacant, leaving former tenants like Steven Shpak grappling with loss, frustration, and unanswered questions.
Former B.C. premier John Horgan, a popular leader renowned for his affable personality and dedicated public service, has died
The teenager who is sick with the first-ever human case of avian influenza acquired in Canada is in hospital in critical condition, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday.
The union representing more than 700 locked out supervisors at British Columbia ports said it will go to court to fight for its right to negotiate through collective bargaining.
A B.C. woman who stole more than $14,000 in volunteer-raised funds that were supposed to be spent on school supplies and programs – including hot meals for vulnerable kids – won't spend any time in jail.
The emergency department at South Okanagan General Hospital in Oliver, B.C., will be closed for 31 hours this weekend, the second such closure in a week and the third since the start of November.
Police in Kamloops, B.C., are reminding parents and guardians to check their children's Halloween candy after receiving a report of a mother finding a razor blade in one of her daughter's treats.
The current economic conditions and financial position of the City of Lethbridge will be the focus of a two-day economic and finance standing policy committee (SPC) meeting starting Wednesday.
If you were at the cenotaph Remembrance Day ceremonies in Lethbridge, you may have caught a glimpse of our Dory Rossiter there on crutches.
Canadians across the country spent Monday paying tribute to the soldiers who have fought and died while serving Canada.
Last week, police in the Sault rescued a kitten trapped under a vehicle. And CERB, as the kitten has since been named, has been adopted by a member of the police.
Police in Sault Ste. Marie say three employees were attacked while at work Monday, receiving multiple blows to their heads before the suspect was subdued.
The 18-year-old man accused in a vicious attack on his ex-girlfriend in Cobalt last week was sentenced to house arrest five days before the Nov. 3 assault.
Police in Newfoundland say a man was electrocuted Saturday by a downed power wire about 10 kilometres north of St. John's, N.L.
On Thursday morning, Dave Penny officially ended a suggested hundred-day isolation period that followed his diagnosis and stem cell treatment for non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. On Thursday night, Penny returned to a stage at a downtown St. John's bar, regaling a small crowd with songs and stories with a distinctive Newfoundland flair.
A Memorial University scientist says the mysterious white blobs washing up on Newfoundland beaches are actually gobs of plastic -- and they need to be cleaned up.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
