He falsely described the New York prosecution as election interference. Trump flew home to Florida where he addressed family, friends and supporters at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, delivering a litany of grievances against investigators, prosecutors and rival politicians. Trump made no comment when he left court just under an hour later. At one point, the judge put his hand to his ear as if to prompt an answer. The frontrunner in the race for the Republican nomination in 2024, Trump was subdued, responding briefly when the judge asked him if he understood his rights. The two women in the case are adult film actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Prosecutors in Manhattan accused Trump, the first sitting or former US president to face criminal charges, of trying to conceal a violation of election laws during his successful 2016 campaign. Here is a summary of today’s events so far:ĭonald Trump was charged on Tuesday with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a historic case over allegations he orchestrated hush-money payments to two women before the 2016 US election to suppress publication of their alleged sexual encounters with him.