MIAMI — Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 37 felony counts related to mishandling classified documents, surrendering at a federal courthouse enveloped by hundreds of his supporters and swarming with media coverage.
The historic federal charges against a former president and a presidential candidate brought a circuslike atmosphere to the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse as well as dozens of police officers and a security blockade around the building.
Mr. Trump arrived at the courthouse from his nearby Doral resort, where he stayed overnight and consulted with his legal team. He was met at the courthouse by U.S. Marshals and booked with fingerprinting before entering the courtroom on the 13th floor.
Mr. Trump’s attorney, Todd Blanche, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. The former president, wearing his classic dark suit and red tie, did not speak during the proceeding and often sat with his arms folded.
He left the courtroom afterward and waved to the cheering crowd from his SUV. He then stopped by the iconic Cuban restaurant Versailles in Miami’s Little Havana, where elated supporters prayed with him.
He told supporters at the restaurant that “it’s going great” and “it’s a rigged deal” when asked about the charges, which include obstructing justice and making false statements to federal authorities.
The charges could put Mr. Trump behind bars for the rest of his life.
Mr. Trump is leading every other candidate by double digits in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and is ahead of President Biden in some general election polls.
“We are a nation in decline, and then they do this stuff,” Mr. Trump said. “And you see where the people are,” said Mr. Trump, acknowledging the crowds of supporters surrounding the courthouse. “We love the people. We have a country that is going in decline like never before, and we can’t let it happen.”
Mr. Trump teased his “little speech” at a fundraiser Tuesday night at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Supporters at the restaurant sang “Happy Birthday” to the former president, and he paid for everybody’s food. Mr. Trump will be 77 on Wednesday.
“What a great group of people,” he said.
SEE ALSO: Trump loyalists rally for the former president at Miami courthouse
Mr. Trump thanked supporters on his Truth Social media site as he left for New Jersey: “Thank you Miami. Such a warm welcome on such a SAD DAY for our Country!”
Mr. Trump has vowed to stay in the presidential race if he is convicted of crimes, setting up a scenario in which he could grant himself a pardon for federal crimes if he is elected.
Before the court hearing, Mr. Trump took aim at special counsel Jack Smith, whom Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed to lead the investigation.
Mr. Trump called Mr. Smith a “thug” and said “Biden and his CORRUPT Injustice Department stuck on me.”
“He’s a Radical Right Lunatic and Trump Hater, as are all his friends and family, who probably ‘planted’ information in the ‘boxes’ given to them,” Mr. Trump said. “They taint everything that they touch, including our Country, which is rapidly going to HELL!”
Mr. Smith was in attendance at the arraignment.
Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman ordered Mr. Trump not to discuss the case with Will Nauta, his co-defendant and valet who will be arraigned on June 27. The former president is also prohibited from discussing the case with any other witness in the case.
Judge Goodman will not be presiding over the jury trial, which has not been scheduled. Judge Aileen M. Cannon, who was nominated by Mr. Trump, will preside.
Mr. Trump was allowed to leave without any special conditions or travel restrictions. Prosecutors deemed him not to be a flight risk.
The indictment says the classified documents Mr. Trump took with him to his Mar-a-Lago resort after he lost the 2020 election to President Biden included “information regarding defense and weapons capabilities of both the United States and foreign countries; United States nuclear programs; potential vulnerabilities of the United States and its allies to military attack; and plans for a possible retaliation in response to a foreign attack.”
“The unauthorized disclosure of these classified documents could put at risk the national security of the United States, foreign states, the safety of the United States military, and human sources and the continued viability of sensitive intelligence collection methods,” the indictment said.
The indictment said Mr. Trump suggested his attorney “falsely represent to the FBI and grand jury” that he did not have the documents and had “his attorney hide or destroy documents.”
It marks the second time in as many months that Mr. Trump had to appear before a judge to face criminal charges. In April, he pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts under New York law related to falsifying business records to cover up payments he made to an adult actress and a Playboy model during the 2016 presidential campaign.
A jury, meanwhile, found Mr. Trump liable in May for sexually abusing and defaming author and magazine advice columnist E. Jean Carroll and ordered him to pay $5 million in damages. Mr. Trump faces separate federal investigations into his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and interfering in the 2020 election in Georgia.
Mr. Trump has made a habit of smashing political norms. He was impeached twice as president. He has insisted that the 2020 election was stolen, and he called for Mr. Biden’s win to be overturned and for him to be reinstated — even claiming the Constitution should get tossed aside if need be.
Looking to tap into the pro-Trump sentiment among primary voters, long-shot Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy appeared outside the courthouse and vowed that, if elected, he would pardon Mr. Trump. He also called on his rivals for the nomination to make the same commitment.
Supporters interviewed by The Washington Times outside the Miami courthouse overwhelmingly said he is being politically persecuted and that the charges are groundless.
Scott Whary brought his two grandchildren to the courthouse to wave flags in support of Mr. Trump.
“I said this is historical, let’s bring the grandkids down,” Mr. Whary said. “This is injustice that is being served. It’s all political at this point, to interfere with the election process.”
Mr. Whary’s wife, Lynda, said the charges piling up against Mr. Trump and his determination to win a second term after two impeachments and an FBI investigation into his 2016 campaign have increased his appeal as a presidential candidate.
“With all that he has endured over the past six years,” Mrs. Whary said, “you have to know that man wants the best for us.”
• Seth McLaughlin reported from Washington for this article, which is based in part on wire service reports.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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