Trump's day in court as criminal defendant: What to know

For the first time in history, a former U.S. president has appeared in court as a criminal defendant. Donald Trump surrendered to authorities on Tuesday to appear on charges related to hush-money payments at the height of the 2016 presidential election. Trump, a 2024 presidential candidate, pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges. Prosecutors said Trump conspired to undermine the 2016 presidential election by trying to suppress information that could harm his candidacy. Trump is due back in court in December, but his lawyers asked that he be excused from attending that hearing in person because of the extraordinary security required to have him show up.