SAEDNEWS: Donald Trump made history in 2021 as the first U.S. president to face criminal indictment—charged with 34 felony counts over hush money payments linked to his 2016 campaign. Here's a full breakdown of what happened inside that Manhattan courtroom.
According to Saed News, Donald Trump became the first American president to face criminal prosecution when he appeared before a Manhattan court in April 2021, charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments. The indictment stemmed from an alleged scheme to suppress damaging stories ahead of the 2016 presidential election, involving payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Trump was not handcuffed during his brief arrest but was fingerprinted and formally arraigned before Judge Juan Merchan. He pleaded not guilty to all charges. Prosecutors, led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, argued that the payments were part of a coordinated plan to influence the election by concealing potentially scandalous information.
At the core of the case were a series of reimbursements to Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, who had fronted payments totaling over $100,000. These reimbursements were allegedly disguised as routine legal fees—an act the prosecution claims amounted to criminal falsification of financial records.
One subplot involved a Trump Tower doorman who reportedly claimed Trump fathered a child out of wedlock—an allegation later denied but allegedly silenced with a $30,000 payout. David Pecker, publisher of the National Enquirer and a longtime Trump ally, was also implicated in the scheme to bury negative stories.
The trial, expected to extend for over a year, came just months before the 2024 Republican primaries, in which Trump was already the leading candidate. Under U.S. law, even a felony conviction would not bar him from running for president again.
Following the hearing, Trump flew back to Mar-a-Lago and denounced the charges as politically motivated. Bragg, meanwhile, defended the timing and integrity of the case, citing the need to uphold financial transparency, especially in Manhattan—“the economic capital of the world.”
