Former President Donald Trump was arraigned at a Washington, D.C., federal courthouse Thursday to face a judge over charges he tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election, as the exterior was thronged by law enforcement, security barriers and news reporters.
It marks the first time a U.S. president must answer to charges that he tried to overturn an election.
Trump was arraigned at the E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse on Constitution Avenue NW at 4 p.m., just blocks from the U.S. Capitol building that hundreds of his supporters breached on Jan. 6, 2021, disrupting the certification of President Joe Biden’s election win.
During Thursday's arraignment, Trump pleaded not guilty to all four charges in the case.
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The next hearing in the case is set for Aug. 28.
Trump had traveled from his New Jersey golf club via private plane and landed at Reagan National Airport about 2:50 p.m. Video footage showed his motorcade making its way north along George Washington Memorial Parkway.
By 4:45 p.m., the former president had left the courthouse and was back on the road to DCA to leave the District.
The former president paused on the tarmac before boarding his "Trump"-emblazoned private jet, making brief remarks to reporters after his third indictment and arraignment.
"This is a very sad day for America, and it was also very sad driving through Washington, D.C., and seeing the filth and decay," Trump said, criticizing local D.C. leadership in much the same manner as GOP members of the House in recent months.
"This is the persecution of the person who is leading by very substantial numbers in the Republican primary," he continued, accusing the Biden administration of "persecuting" him as an electoral strategy during the 2024 campaign.
Barriers were set up outside the courthouse and Capitol early Thursday. Yellow tape reading "U.S. Marshal" and "do not cross" stretched across the bike-rack style barriers near the court.
Supporters of the former president and activists calling for his equal treatment under the law despite his presidential status began gathering late Thursday morning.
Hours before Trump was due in court, his supporters waved flags with his name, wore "Make America Great Again" hats and shirts and shouted about what they called the rigged election.
A group of anti-Trump demonstrators held signs that said "Not above the law." One spoke to a crowd about what she called Trump's "crimes against democracy." Another held a bedsheet bearing a spray-painted message announcing "Trump indicted" and danced to "Celebration" by Kool & the Gang.
Only a handful of protestors on each side were outside the courthouse before the former president arrived.
The media presence in the area was by far the most extensive before Trump's arrival. News4's Joseph Olmo reported that the various tents, trucks, vans and other reporting setups spanned more than a block.
By the time Trump arrived at the courthouse and the arraignment was underway, however, that small handful of protestors and spectators quickly multiplied into much larger crowds. Members of that crowd held signs for and against the former president, chanted, and took photos and videos of the scene.
A few even donned costumes. One person sporting a Jar Jar Binks mask held a sign that read "Donny do nono!" on the portion of C Street NW blocked off to cars.
Another person in full Revolutionary War military dress addressed a small crowd across Pennsylvania Avenue from the courthouse.
Security measures near courthouse and Capitol
There were no arrests over the course of the arraignment and resulting hubbub, D.C. police told News4's Mark Segraves. There were also no related calls to D.C. Fire and EMS.
Road closures and a mass of law enforcement officials and news reporters were apparent to anyone near the federal courthouse on Thursday.
Law enforcement officials with agencies including D.C.’s police department, the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Capitol Police descended on the courthouse starting a day in advance, along with numerous news organizations set up under tents. Dozens of members of the media had lined up outside the federal courthouse by 5 p.m. Wednesday, NBC News reported.
In advance of the arraignment, U.S. Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said the agency was working to ensure Trump’s safety and minimize disruptions to the normal court process, but wouldn't comment on specific plans.
"While the Secret Service does not comment on the specific protective means or methods, we have the utmost confidence in the dedication and commitment to security shared by all of our law enforcement and government partners," the Secret Service said in an email. "We are working closely with the Metropolitan Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Park Police, U.S. Capitol Police and the Federal Protective Service to ensure the highest levels of safety and security for the former president, while minimizing disruptions to the normal court process."
Crews installed bike rack-style barriers outside the U.S. Capitol in the wake of a security scare on Capitol Hill after a concerning call about a shooter. Officers with guns drawn, wearing tactical gear, scoured congressional office buildings on Wednesday afternoon, but found no evidence of a shooting.
U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said the call may have been bogus.
What is an arraignment? What happened at Trump's?
Trump was arraigned on Thursday, meaning he faced the charges before a judge for the first time. At an arraignment, a defendant learns more about their rights and the charges against them and enters a plea.
NBC News Senior Capitol Hill Correspondent Garrett Haake said it wouldn't be a long hearing, but an important one -- and the hearing was indeed short, taking less than an hour.
Trump was taken into the courthouse mostly out of view of the public. He was processed, which a U.S. Marshals spokesperson said would include the former president getting digitally fingerprinted again. No mugshot was taken; the spokesperson said an existing image would be used for his booking photo.
Trump appeared before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, a former assistant public defender who was nominated to the bench by President Barack Obama. No cameras are allowed in federal courtrooms.
Trump pleaded not guilty, as was expected. The former president and his allies have been attacking the charges as purely political, but his legal team wasn’t set to voice any legal arguments they have put forth about Trump's First Amendment rights or legal advice he received.
However, lawyers may argue for court proceedings to be delayed in light of the 2024 election.
“Don’t be surprised if, as they start to work on schedule for the next hearing, we see some effort to push that back,” Haake said.
Road closures
Throughout the arraignment, road closures were limited to one street, C Street NW.
As of 6:30 a.m. Thursday, D.C. police hadn’t released information about specific planned closures. By 11 a.m., just five hours before Trump was set to arrive in court, there were still no roads closed in that area of D.C. Cars continued down Pennsylvania Avenue, the road right in front of the federal courthouse, unhindered, rolling past an increasing number of news vans and media tents.
By about 1 p.m., only C Street NW was closed to traffic in the area, according to News4's Mark Segraves.
More bike-rack style barriers blocked off the road behind the courthouse, with officers and at least one D.C. police car sitting in watch over that side of the block.
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