Trump in New York court: First pictures as he is charged in Stormy Daniels case trends now

Donald Trump made history on Tuesday when he stood in a Manhattan court and became the first former President of the United States in history to be indicted on criminal charges. 

Trump, 76, surrendered voluntarily and was placed under arrest before the judge read the charges against him - as he sat alongside his defense attorneys in a packed courtroom. 

He pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels in the final days of his presidential campaign in 2016.

His entry into the Manhattan courthouse was surrounded by chaos - helicopters flying over head, protesters and supporters clashing in the streets, and cameras recording every moment of the circus sparked by District Attorney Alvin Bragg's criminal probe. 

Trump snubbed reporters and walked silently into the courtroom after being fingerprinted and processed at the New York Criminal Court Tuesday afternoon. He avoided handcuffs and being placed in a cell.

He had his lawyer Joe Tacopina with him, along with aides Jason Miller and Boris Epshteyn. 

While his motorcade drove him from Trump Tower to downtown Manhattan, he posted on Truth Social that he couldn't 'believe this is happening in America'. 

Judge Juan Merchan ruled against cameras in the courtroom - depriving the former reality TV star of a made-for-television moment - but allowed still photographers inside to take photos. 

Trump is expected to be released on his recognizance and is scheduled to return to Mar-a-Lago, his home in Palm Beach, later Tuesday evening where he will make remarks at 8:15 pm EST.

Trump has been defiant ahead of the arraignment hearing, declaring himself to be the victim of weaponized legal system and a political target by Democrats who don't want to see him win another term in the White House.

A Secret Service and NYPD motorcade of SUVs escorted him from Trump Tower, where he spent the night after arriving in New York City on Monday from his Mar-a-Lago home, along the six mile drive to the courthouse where he was booked, fingerprinted and read his rights.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who brought the charges against he former president, arrived at court Tuesday morning ahead of the former president. 

The case involves a $130,000 hush-money payment that his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels in the final days of the 2016 campaign. 

Cohen said he made the payment at Trump's direction and it was to ensure Daniels would not go public with her story of a sexual encounter with the married Trump. 

The alleged affair happened in 2006, long before Trump entered politics and when he was married to Melania. It was shortly after she gave birth to their son Barron. 

Trump denies both the affair and any legal wrongdoing.