𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕖𝕣 𝕌𝕊 𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕋𝕣𝕦𝕞𝕡 𝕥𝕠 𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕖𝕒𝕣 𝕚𝕟 𝔽𝕖𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕝 ℂ𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕥

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕖𝕣 𝕌𝕊 𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝔻𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝𝕕 𝕋𝕣𝕦𝕞𝕡 𝕚𝕤 𝕤𝕖𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕖𝕒𝕣 𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔽𝕖𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕝 ℂ𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕥 𝕚𝕟 𝕎𝕒𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕥𝕠𝕟 𝔻ℂ 𝕚𝕟 𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕥𝕨𝕠 𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕤, 𝕗𝕒𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕘𝕖𝕤 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕡𝕝𝕠𝕥𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕠 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕒𝕝 𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟.

H

e faces four counts including conspiracy to defraud the United States. Mr Trump is currently making his way to court in a motorcade, and there's heightened security around the court.

RNZ correspondent Nick Harper spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

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𝕃𝕖𝕟𝕟𝕪 𝕄𝕔𝔸𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕠𝕟 𝕋𝕣𝕦𝕞𝕡 𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕘𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤

Former US president Donald Trump is expected to face court over allegations he attempted to undermine democracy by claiming the 2020 election results were fake.

RELATED:

Joe Biden is already more popular than Trump's ever been

The charges against Mr Trump are unprecedented - and he says they're an attempt to undermine his run for president in 2024.

American political commentator and 2016 Republican candidate Lenny McAllister spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

𝕋𝕣𝕦𝕞𝕡'𝕤 𝕗𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕘𝕖𝕤 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝔽𝕖𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕝 ℂ𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕥

Former US president Donald Trump has attended Federal Court in Washington DC, where he faces four charges over the 2020 election, including conspiracy to defraud the United States.

Former federal prosecutor Dennis Aftergut says the case is bigger than the trial of the century.

He left his home accompanied by a motorcade earlier this morning, and the courthouse itself hosted a heavy security presence.

RNZ US correspondent Nick Harper spoke to Morning Report.

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𝕋𝕣𝕦𝕞𝕡 𝕡𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕤 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕘𝕦𝕚𝕝𝕥𝕪 𝕥𝕠 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕘𝕖𝕤 𝕙𝕖 𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕟 𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕤

Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Thursday to federal charges that he orchestrated a plot to try to overturn his 2020 election loss in what US prosecutors call an unprecedented effort by the then-president to undermine the pillars of American democracy.

Drop a 💙 (or two) for Joe Biden! 💙💙 pic.twitter.com/eiFnyhsl0q

— Just saying (@kangaroos991) August 3, 2023

Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, entered his plea in a Washington courtroom 1km from the US Capitol, the building his supporters stormed on 6 January, 2021, to try to stop Congress from certifying his defeat.

The plea - the third for Trump in four months - kicks off months of pre-trial legal wrangling that will unfold against the backdrop of the presidential campaign, in which Trump is seeking a rematch against Democratic President Joe Biden.

In a 45-page indictment on Tuesday, Special Counsel Jack Smith accused Trump and his allies of promoting false claims the election was rigged, pressuring state and federal officials to alter the results and assembling fake slates of electors to try to wrest electoral votes from Biden.

A cup of Joe never tasted better.

Grab yours: https://t.co/4fbxCBQNPZ pic.twitter.com/s2qboyE7C1

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 3, 2023

Smith was seated in the front row as Trump, wearing a blue suit and red tie, entered his plea before US Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya. Trump sat with his hands folded while awaiting the judge's entry.

Trump, 77, faces four counts, including conspiracy to defraud the US, to deprive citizens of their right to have their votes counted and to obstruct an official proceeding. The most serious charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.

Trump has portrayed the indictment, as well as the other criminal cases against him, as a "witch hunt" intended to derail his White House campaign. In a series of social media posts since Tuesday, he has accused the Biden administration of targeting him for political gain.

He previously pleaded not guilty to federal charges that he retained classified documents after leaving office and New York state charges that he falsified documents in connection with hush money payments to a porn star.

Trump may soon face more charges in Georgia, where a state prosecutor is investigating his attempts to overturn the election there. The Atlanta-area prosecutor, Fani Willis, has said she will file indictments by mid-August.

"I need one more indictment to ensure my election!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social media platform ahead of his Thursday court appearance.

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