NEW YORK: Once the most powerful man in the world, former American President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to 34 felony charges arising out of an investigation into a hush money scheme designed to protect his then candidacy for the Oval Office.

Trump becomes the first ever US President to be arrested and slapped with criminal charges.

He is accused of conspiring to illegally influence the 2016 election through a series of hush money payments designed to stifle claims that could be harmful to his candidacy, prosecutors said Tuesday in unsealing the historic 34-count felony indictment.

The payments, said Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy, were part of “an unlawful plan to identify and suppress negative information that could have undermined his campaign for president.”

Trump, stone-faced 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.

The next court date is December 4, though it is not clear if he will be required to appear.

PAYOFFS TO

TWO WOMEN

The broad contours of the case have long been known, but indictment contains new details about a scheme that prosecutors say involved payoffs to two women, including a porn star, who said they had extramarital sexual encounters with him 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.

The arraignment, though largely procedural in nature, amounts to a remarkable reckoning for Trump after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings.

The case is unfolding against the backdrop not only of his third campaign for the White House but also against other investigations in Washington and Atlanta that might yet produce even more charges.

Trump, his lips pursed in apparent anger, entered the courtroom shortly before 2.30 pm. He left court about an hour later, also without commenting. All told, the typically verbose Trump spoke only about ten words during the entire proceeding.

Before the arraignment, he narrated his feelings in real time, describing the experience as “surreal” as he traveled from Trump Tower to lower Manhattan to face a judge.

The day's schedule, with its striking blend of legal and political events, 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.

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