Former President Donald Trump, facing charges for his mishandling of state secrets after leaving the White House, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday during his historic appearance before a federal court in Miami.

‘We plead unequivocally not guilty,’ stated his attorney Todd Blanche during the hearing, as reported by an AFP journalist. This sets the stage for a potentially damaging trial for his 2024 US presidential campaign.

Donald Trump, the 76-year-old Republican is accused of jeopardizing US security by keeping confidential documents, including military plans and nuclear weapons information, in toilets or storage rooms at his luxury residence Mar-a-Lago in Florida. Donald Trump is also accused of refusing to return these documents despite court orders, resulting in charges of ‘unlawful retention of information related to national security,’ as well as ‘obstruction of justice’ and ‘false testimony.’

A federal judge informed him of the 37 charges brought against him. He left the courtroom shortly afterward. Since his indictment, the Republican has denounced it as a ‘setup’ orchestrated to remove him from the competition against Democratic President Joe Biden, who is also running for a second term.

Meanwhile, his campaign team is sending multiple emails to his supporters, urging them to contribute financially to his defense. However, only a few dozen protesters gathered outside the Miami courthouse to protest his indictment, often wearing red ‘Make America Great Again’ caps, while being surrounded by a throng of journalists.

‘I am simply astonished that as a country that represents a beacon to the world, I have to witness this degrading spectacle,’ said Lazaro Ezenar, 48, to AFP, as numerous police officers guarded the vicinity of the courthouse. Over the past 24 hours, American media helicopters have documented every move of the billionaire, from his private plane to his golf club, leading up to this courthouse, a grand building with glass windows surrounded by palm trees. This is the first time a former US president has been indicted at the federal level.

However, Donald Trump has already experienced the ordeal of a court appearance: in early April, he was indicted by the New York State justice system for several accounting frauds related to a payment made prior to the 2016 presidential election to silence an adult film actress who claims to have been his mistress.