Highlights: Donald Trump pleads not guilty, says indictment 'sad da for America'

After coming out of the courtroom, Trump had a breif interaction with the reporters where he termed the recent “a persecution of a political opponent." 

"When you look at what’s happening, this is a persecution of a political opponent. This was never supposed to happen in America."

He further said that it was “the persecution of the person who is leading by very substantial numbers in the Republican primary and leading Biden by a lot”.

"So if you can’t beat him, you persecute him or you prosecute them. We can’t let this happen in America."

Donald Trump's arraignment in the 2020 election interference case has officially ended.  The proceeding lasted 27 minutes. Trump has departed the courtroom, CNN reports 

Donald Trump will be released on minimal conditions of release, which include not being allowed to communicate with anyone known to be a witness in the case unless through an attorney, CNN reports.

Prosecutors from special counsel Jack Smith’s office did not seek pretrial detention for Donald Trump. 

On Tuesday, he was was charged with four counts as part of special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation.

• Conspiracy to defraud the United States

• Conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding

• Obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding

• Conspiracy against rights

The arraignment hearing for former president Donald Trump in special counsel Jack Smith’s election subversion case has begun in the Washington, DC, federal court. 

US Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya is presiding. 

Former president Donald Trump is in custody at the US District Court in Washington, DC, and will soon be arraigned on criminal charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election leading up to the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.

Donald Trump arrived at a federal court in Washington DC, on Thursday to face charges that he led a criminal conspiracy seeking to defraud the American people by overturning the 2020 election. 

According to CNN, Donald Trump's plane has landed at Reagan National Airport in Virginia and he will soon head to a Washington, DC, federal courthouse to be arraigned on charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election. 

Hours before he left his Bedminster estate for his arraignment, Donald Trump lambasted both the judge oversseing the case and the venure, calling it "unfair". 

"Biden and his family steal Millions and Millions of Dollars, including BRIBES from foreign countries, and I’m headed to D.C. to be ARRESTED for protesting a CROOKED ELECTION. UNFAIR VENUE, UNFAIR JUDGE. We are a Nation in Decline. MAGA!!! (SIC)," Trump posted on Truth Social.

The former president is set to appear before a Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya this afternoon. Handling the case going forward will be federal District Judge Tanya Chutkan.

A report by Reuters cited aerial footage to report that Trump and his motorcade has departed his Bedminster, New Jersey estate. 

Images and videos circulated on social media show metal barricades and municipal trunks forming a security ring around the E. Barret Prettyman courthouse in Washington. 

Media reports mentioned that police and sniffer dogs gathered outside the court, while scores of reporters from the world's media camped overnight to seek a spot inside. 

Anti-Trump protesters are outside of the court. 

As quoted by Reuters, Domenic Santana said: "What I'm hoping happens today, hopefully, well he is going to get locked up, but that's just the fingerprints and everything. But he's not doing overnight like I did when I got locked up in Miami. He should do a lot of overnights. He needs to, cause he's gotten away with a lot of stuff, man. And his lies… enough is enough. Let's call a spade a spade. The guy is a bulls**t artist, you know. Enough is enough. You know, this is America. You can't get away with the s**t he's gotten away with. And let's hope he does his time." 

An unnamed man said, "I mean that's huge, listen to me. That's huge, when you're the ex-leader of the United States and you're going to openly talk about, you want to destroy this and you want to destroy that. Come on man, they got him on tape. He can't deny it." 

Just hours before his appearance, Trump alleged an "unprecedented weaponization of 'Justice'". Trump accused Biden of ordering the Justice Department to charge him with "as many crimes as can be concocted," forcing him to spend time and money defending himself rather than campaign. 

"The Dems don't want to run against me or they would not be doing this unprecedented weaponization of 'Justice.' But soon, in 2024, it will be our turn," he said on his social media platform, Truth Social. 

The charges were announced after Jack Smith's investigation into allegations Trump sought to reverse his loss to Biden. 

Smith unveiled a 45-page indictment of Trump on Tuesday charging him with conspiracy to defraud the nation.

Trump was also charged of attempting to disenfranchise American voters with his false claims that he won the November 2020 election.

"The purpose of the conspiracy was to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election by using knowingly false claims of election fraud," the indictment said.

Smith linked Trump's actions following his loss to Democrat Joe Biden directly to the attack on the Capitol, which he called an "unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy." 

Smith said, "It was fueled by lies. Lies by the defendant targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the US government - the nation's process of collecting, counting and certifying the results of the presidential election."

Several metal barriers were erected around the federal courthouse where Trump is set to be arraigned. 

Security has also been beefed up. 

Ahead of the appearance, Trump posted on Truth Social. He wrote: "The latest Fake “case” brought by Crooked Joe Biden & Deranged Jack Smith will hopefully be moved to an impartial Venue, such as the politically unbiased nearby State of West Virginia!" 

Reports have mentioned that Trump is expected to enter a plea of not guilty at a hearing set to begin at 4:00pm (2000 GMT) before magistrate judge Moxila Upadhyaya. 

Former United States president Donald Trump is expected to appear in court on Thursday to answer charges of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election.

This will cast a dark and volatile cloud over the 2024 White House race for which he remains the presumptive Republican nominee. 

The arrest and arraignment of the former president will take place in a federal courthouse within sight of the US Capitol that was stormed by his supporters on January 6, 2021, in what prosecutors say was the culmination of the alleged plot.