'Very sad day for America': Trump speaks after pleading not guilty in conspiring to overturn 2020 election
Donald Trump responds to third indictment
Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Thursday to trying to overturn the results of his 2020 presidential election loss, answering for the first time to federal charges that accuse him of orchestrating a brazen and ultimately failed attempt to block the peaceful transfer of presidential power.
Former President Donald Trump said it was a "very sad day for America" after pleading not guilty in Washington’s federal court to charges that he conspired to overturn the 2020 election.
Trump addressed the proceedings in a brief statement on a drizzly tarmac before he boarded his plane back to New Jersey, characterizing the case as a "persecution" designed to hurt his 2024 presidential campaign.
"We can’t let this happen in America," Trump said.
Trump pleaded not guilty to four federal counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States. He is accused of brazenly conspiring with allies to spread falsehoods and concoct schemes intended to overturn his election loss to President Joe Biden.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump talks with members of the media on the tarmac at Reagan National Airport following an arraignment in a Washington, D.C. court on August 3, 2023 in Arlington, Virginia. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Former U.S. President Donald Trump boards his plane at Reagan National Airport following an arraignment in Washington, D.C. federal court on August 3, 2023 in Arlington, Virginia. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
PHOTOS: Trump appears before judge in DC courthouse
Trump’s face appeared set and serious, and he occasionally wrote on a paper in front of him throughout the hearing. As it drew to a close, Trump thanked the judge before leaving the courtroom through the same door that he entered.
Special counsel Jack Smith sat in the front row of the courtroom gallery, about 15 feet from Trump’s seat at the defense table with his lawyers. They didn’t appear to make any obvious eye contact before or during the hearing.
Special counsel details new Trump indictment
Special counsel Jack Smith has announced that Donald Trump has been charged by the Justice Department for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The indictment focuses on schemes by Trump and his allies to subvert the transfer of power and keep him in office despite his loss to Joe Biden. It's the third criminal case brought against the former president as he seeks to reclaim the White House.
Trump was released on conditions, including that he does not have contact about the case with any witnesses unless attorneys are present.
"If you fail to comply with any conditions of your release, a warrant may be issued for your arrest," Magistrate Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya told him.
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Read Trump's full statement below:
"This is a very sad day for America, and it was also very sad driving through Washington, DC, and seeing the filth and the decay and all of the broken buildings walls and the graffiti. This is not the place that I left. It's a very sad thing to see it.
"When you look at what's happening, this is a persecution of a political opponent. This was never supposed to happen in America. This is the persecution of the person that's leading by very, very substantial numbers in the Republican primary and leading Biden by a lot.
"So if you can't beat'em, you persecute'em or you prosecute'em. We can't let this happen in America.
"Thank you, very much."
The next hearing in Trump’s 2020 election conspiracy case has been set for Aug. 28, just days after the first debate in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.