Trump Leaves Crowds Hanging

• Former President Donald Trump was arraigned in the Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and conspiracy.
• On the day of the arraignment, hundreds of people gathered outside the courthouse to witness history, but Trump left silently without addressing the crowds.
• His lawyer described the former president as being frustrated and upset, saying they will fight the charges.

After a highly-anticipated trip to New York City, former President Donald Trump left his arraignment without saying a word to the hundreds of people who gathered outside a Manhattan courthouse to witness history.

On Tuesday, Trump was arraigned in the Manhattan Criminal Court, pleading not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the investigation surrounding the alleged hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign.

As the former president maintained his innocence inside the courtroom, hundreds of people gathered outside on the streets of downtown Manhattan—some in support of his indictment and others there to protest his arrest—all hoping to catch a glimpse of Trump on the day he'd come face-to-face with the first criminal charges handed down to a current or former president.

However, after a roughly one-hour arraignment, Trump left silently from the side entrance of the building, avoiding any acknowledgment of the crowds waiting for him. He did not address the cameras in the courtroom either, but he offered a brief wave on his way in.

Trump is now headed back to his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida, where he is expected to deliver remarks tonight. Although there was speculation that the judge would order him to keep mum about the case, no gag order was issued.

The decision to leave without addressing the crowds comes in contrast to the man who was known to love media attention during his time in the White House. In the four years of the Trump presidency, Trump proliferated the news cycle with a ubiquity that other presidents shared and often jumped on photo opportunities, like the controversial one in front of St. John's Episcopal Church amid the George Floyd protests.

Although Trump's been a vocal critic of media organizations—turning even on his former favorites Fox News and the New York Post—he did not engage with the dozens of crews and photographers staged outside the courtroom.

Those standing in the crowds of Trump supporters opposite the front doors of the courthouse were eager to spot Trump. Many described standing at Collect Pond Park for hours, getting there early in the morning to secure their spots. One man in the crowd told Newsweek that he drove from Massachusetts Tuesday morning in hopes of getting a video of Trump leaving his arraignment.

"This is day one of the next civil war," another man said. "You can tell your kids you were here to watch."

Dozens of people wearing Trump and Make America Great Again paraphernalia and clothing all crowded behind the fence of the park. As many of them had their phone cameras at the ready, a couple of helicopters were heard flying above and Secret Service was spotted on nearby rooftops.

They were heard speculating if Trump would come out the front entrance of the building and making a commotion every time another person who was not the former president was seen exiting the building. His supporters repeatedly checked his Truth Social profile to see if Trump made another post and continuously refreshed their social media platforms hoping to figure out what was going on across the street.

But Trump was nowhere to be seen by the double doors of the criminal courthouse. When our reporter informed nearby Trump supporters that the former president was already on his way back to Florida, many of them let out a disappointed sigh.

The move seemed peculiar given that Trump had opted for a high-profile hearing rather than an arraignment over Zoom, a quieter affair that Rolling Stone reported was offered to the former president.

A law enforcement official close to the security planning told the outlet on Monday that Trump "wants to get out of the vehicle and walk up the stairs." Newsweek could not independently verify the reporting.

But even on Monday, Trump didn't say anything to the crowds of people gathered in front and nearby the Trump Tower, instead offering a quick wave before dipping into the building. He arrived to his New York City residence in the afternoon to prepare for his Tuesday court appearance.

Although Trump did not speak to the press or those gathered on the streets outside the courthouse on Tuesday, his lawyer Todd Blanche described the former president to Bloomberg News' Billy House as being "frustrated and upset."

"We're going to fight it," Blanche said. "He's upset, but he's motivated."