On Tuesday, Donald Trump made history as the first former president to face criminal charges for his 37-count indictment alleging that he mishandled classified documents and obstructed the Department of Justice in its mission to retrieve them. He appeared before a magistrate judge at 3 p.m. at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. United States Courthouse in Miami in room 13-3.
Trump pleaded not guilty on all 37 counts. He and his personal aide, Walt Nauta, were arrested at the federal courthouse around 1:50 p.m. and immediately underwent the booking process, where they each had their fingerprints and DNA samples taken. Nauta had his mugshot taken.
“We most certainly enter a plea of not guilty,” said Trump lawyer Todd Blanche at the arraignment.
The case was randomly assigned to Judge Aileen M. Cannon. She was appointed by Trump the day after he lost the election in 2020 and ruled in the former president’s favor during an earlier stage of the case. However, Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman oversaw the arraignment on Tuesday.
Miami is preparing for thousands of potential protests to take place over the coming days. A number of GOP candidates and activists have been urging people to show up and speak out against the charges being brought against Trump. Media outlets are also suggesting that members of the Proud Boys are planning on holding a rally after the court appearance.
Throughout the investigation into his handling of classified documents, Trump’s allies have condemned the Department of Justice for acting with bias in the case. He has been encouraging them to support him as he continues with his campaign for the 2024 presidential election, despite a possible conviction.
City officials have been coordinating with state and federal authorities in anticipation of any disturbances that may occur. They are “taking this event extremely seriously,” as Miami Police Chief Manny Morales declared.
Journalists and photographers were instructed by federal officials to arrive at the courthouse at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday in preparation for the arraignment. While only a select few were actually allowed into the courtroom, everyone else gathered in a jury selection room to watch a broadcast of the hearing.
Following his court appearance, Trump is expected to fly back to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he will speak to the media at 8:15 p.m., and possibly hold a gathering afterward.
