And for more on the 13 new charges brought against Trump in Georgia, click here.
Our coverage today was edited by Brandon Livesay, Marianna Brady, Alexandra Fouché and Tiffany Wertheimer. It was written by Thomas Mackintosh, Adam Durbin, Ali Abbas Ahmadi, Barbara Tasch, Ece Goksedef, Jamie Whitehead and Emily Atkinson. Kayla Epstein, Madeline Halpert and Sarah Smith brought you the latest from Georgia.
Here's the latest
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
If you're just joining us, here's a rundown of what's been happening:
Yesterday, the US state of Georgia charged former US President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies with conspiring to overturn his US election loss
There are 41 total charges listed, with 13 against Trump - including racketeering and election meddling
Earlier Trump posted twice on his social network Truth Social. One post said he will be presenting a "large, complex, detailed" report on Monday, while the other simply said "Witch Hunt"
He says this report will exonerate him
The former president has now been criminally indicted four times, he's facing 78 charges in three other cases including election interference, hush money paid to a porn star and hoarding classified documents
Jack Smith went narrow, Fani Willis swung wide
Kayla Epstein
Reporting from Georgia
At first glance, the federal charges against Trump for 2020 election interference and the Georgia state charges seem to have a lot of overlap.
But the prosecutors in each case have taken a very different strategic approach.
Jack Smith, the Justice Department special counsel overseeing the case in Washington DC, indicted only Donald Trump - though the indictment mentions unnamed co-conspirators who allegedly helped carry out election interference.
Prosecuting only Trump allows Smith to move much faster, as the government has indicated it would like a speedy trial ahead of the 2024 election.
Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney in Georgia, did the opposite: she charged Trump along with 18 other co-defendants in a racketeering case.
It's a sprawling legal strategy that allows her to try multiple figures at once. Willis is trying to hold several people responsible for a wide range of activity in Georgia, all while pointing the finger at Trump.
In fact, several of the named defendants in the Georgia case - Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Jeffrey Clark, Sidney Powell and Kenneth Cheseboro - are also unnamed co-conspirtators in the federal indictment.
Willis's case is the first time they are actually being charged for their alleged attemps to help the former president interfere in the 2020 election.
Rudy Giuliani jailed mobsters with a charge he now faces
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Before Rudy Giuliani was Trump's personal lawyer, and prior to serving as mayor of New York City, has was a federal prosecutor.
In the 1980s, Giuliani made headlines around the world for aggressively going after New York's Italian-American mafia, the infamous "Five Families".
The investigation - which involved hundreds of FBI agents and New York police officers - saw extensive use of listening devices, discreetly placed in locations including an East Harlem social club and a mob driver's Jaguar used to ferry gangsters across the city.
Anyone who can be connected to a criminal enterprise can be convicted under Rico, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
But now, decades after using Rico to tackle organisational crime, Giuliani is on the other side of the law.
He faces 13 charges, more than any of the co-accused except for Trump himself.
Giuliani has dismissed the investigation against him as politically motivated.
You can read more about Giuliani and his prosecutions against NYC crime families here.
The ex-Kanye publicist charged alongside Trump
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Among the list of lawyers and political movers and shakers listed on the indictment is a name you might not be familiar with, Trevian C. Kutti.
Kutti is the ex-publicist of Kanye West - the rapper now known as Ye. Kutti was also previously a spokesperson for R. Kelly.
According to the charges filed against Kutti, she went to a Georgia election worker's home in January 2021, when Trump's team were trying to find ways to challenge the state's election results.
Kutti allegedly pressured the worker to make a false statement.
A spokesperson for Ye told Reuters that Kutti was not associated with the rapper "at the time of the facts".
You might remember Ye himself ran for president in 2020, and has spoken about running again in 2024.
Why Trump might try to 'remove' the case
Kayla Epstein
Reporting from Georgia
While Trump's legal team has not laid out their strategy in public, there are a few moves they could make to defend him against the charges.
The first is requesting that the case be "removed" from state court to federal court.
Trump's lawyers could argue that as president, he was acting as an officer of the federal government in order to ensure the legitimacy of the 2020 election, Anthony Michael Kreis of Georgia State University College of Law explained.
Moving the case to federal court would widen the jury pool beyond Democratic-leaning Fulton County, though plenty of people here have mixed opinions of Trump.
Another obvious defence for Trump to attempt is a First Amendment argument - that his false claims of election fraud in Georgia was protected political speech.
Will we see all 19 defendants at trial? Not likely
Kayla Epstein
Reporting from Georgia
A total of 19 defendants are named in this indictment, with
Donald Trump at the top of the list. But not all of them could wind up standing
trial.
It's not unusual in a racketeering case for some of the
defendants to take plea deals or flip and work with prosecutors in exchange for
a lighter punishment, Anthony Michael Kreis of Georgia State University College
of Law explains.
"Prosecutors often start big and winnow people out through
plea deals and other means," Kreis told me.
"There will be deals that will be struck, there will be
offers made, some people might turn into states' evidence in order to save
themselves the lengthy and stressful process of a trial."
By the time this case goes before a jury, those 19 defendants
could whittle down to a smaller number.
"For those who don't reach deals, Willis says she plans to
try all of the defendants together" Kreis says.
What does a racketeering case mean for Trump?
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from Georgia
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Yesterday, Donald Trump and 18 others were charged with violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (Rico) Act.
Presenting that type of case allows Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to broaden the evidence and witnesses that she can present at trial, according to former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani.
Those charges also carry a potential 20-year prison sentence, which is more severe than all the other charges Trump and his co-defendants are facing, Rahmani told the BBC.
But Rico cases are also highly complex, and this is Trump's fourth indictment, meaning Willis is likely fourth in line for a trial, the timing of which could be complicated by Trump's run for president in 2024, he said.
That "raises the question of whether Willis waited too long" to bring charges, Rahmani added.
Trump's a fighter - Republican Party chairperson in Georgia
Sarah Smith
North America editor
BBCCopyright: BBC
Salleigh GrubbsImage caption: Salleigh Grubbs
Committed
Republicans in Cobb County, Georgia, have been expecting these charges.
They’ve
watched Donald Trump’s support increase each time he gets arrested and are
clearly not worried about his legal problems.
I attended
a breakfast hosted by the local Republican party in Marietta, Georgia. There
they held a straw poll asking attendees to write on slips of paper who they
want as their party’s presidential candidate - Trump won easily.
I asked
Salleigh Grubbs, the Republican Party chairperson in Cobb County, if Trump can
successfully run for president if he's fighting four court cases at the same
time.
She says their straw poll here speaks for itself. “He's a fighter, he's used
to fighting, he's been fighting for years. So I think he'll have no problem,”
Grubbs told me.
Wearing a
bright red cap with "USA" and "Trump 45" on it, Jerry Ramsey, 79, shoots down
any suggestions the former president is only running for office again to try
and stay out of prison.
He tells me: “That makes
no sense whatsoever. He started running for president. You know, the day after
he lost or after they say he lost.”
Who is the judge overseeing Trump's case?
Superior Court of Fulton CountyCopyright: Superior Court of Fulton County
Like all judges in the state of Georgia, Inspector General Scott McAfee was randomly selected to oversee Donald Trump's case.
He only became a Fulton County Superior Court judge in February, having worked as an investigator and prosecutor with cases involving "major drug trafficking organizations, fraud, and illegal firearms possession", according to his biography.
When McAfee was appointed to the Office of Inspector General in 2021, Governor Brian Kemp said: "His experience as a tough prosecutor equips him to search out fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption, and bring those to justice who break the law."
In June, he fined pro-Trump attorney and conspiracy theorist, Lin Wood, $5,000 (£3,924) for violating an order forbidding him from insulting his former law partners.
A marathon day culminating in Trump charges
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from Georgia
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Yesterday marked a long, whirlwind day here in Atlanta, where Trump and 18 other defendants were charged for their alleged involvement in a wide-ranging scheme to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
Reporters waited for hours all day long as several witnesses testified before the grand jury, which did not end up returning an indictment against the former president until after 10:00PM local time.
The day capped off just before midnight, as Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis appeared before reporters to break down the felony charges Trump and his alleged co-conspirators are facing.
And the saga could drag on for yet another week, as the defendants in the case don't have to turn themselves in until next Friday.
Raffensperger releases statement following Trump charges
In the leaked phone call where Donald Trump can be heard telling Georgia's top election official to "find 11,780 votes", it is Brad Raffensperger that you can hear on the other end, refusing to yield to pressure and telling Trump: "The data that you have is wrong."
The Secretary of State for Georgia - who is a Republican - has just released a statement, following last night's indictment of the former president.
“The most basic principles of a strong democracy are accountability and respect for the Constitution and rule of law. You either have it, or you don’t,” he wrote, with no direct mention of the charges.
The phone call between Trump and Raffensperger, which was recorded and released by the Washington Post in January 2021, helped spark the opening of the investigation by Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis.
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is at the centre of the Georgia indictmentImage caption: Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is at the centre of the Georgia indictment
Hillary Clinton’s smile goes viral
MSNBCCopyright: MSNBC
Clinton has previously said Trump was "threatening our democracy"Image caption: Clinton has previously said Trump was "threatening our democracy"
A picture of Hillary Clinton smiling on MSNBC as news broke of the charges against Trump has been widely shared on social media.
She
was being interviewed live by host Rachel Maddow when the indictment was unsealed.
“This is not the
circumstances in which I expected to be talking to you," Maddow said.
“I can’t
believe this,” Clinton laughed.
Despite
appearing happy in this moment, Clinton said she felt “great, profound sadness that we have a
former president who has been indicted [on] so many charges that went right to
the heart of whether or not our democracy would survive”.
Clinton
lost the 2016 presidential election to Trump in what was a crushing defeat for the former first lady and secretary of state.
BBC Verify
Donald Trump's election claims from 2020
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Ballot papers are checked in the 2020 vote in GeorgiaImage caption: Ballot papers are checked in the 2020 vote in Georgia
As Donald Trump faces another criminal indictment, here’s a
reminder of some of the things the former president claimed after the 2020
presidential election in that phone call to Georgia's top election official, Republican
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
Trump made claims about
thousands of “dead people” voting, the alleged shredding of ballot papers, and the actions of electronic voting machines - all of which we fact-checked at the time and found
no evidence for.
Video caption: From grand jury to arraignment...US legal terms explained in under 90 secondsFrom grand jury to arraignment...US legal terms explained in under 90 seconds
For those of you not steeped in the jargon of the US justice system, being indicted is the equivalent of being formally accused or charged with a crime.
The process often begins with what is known as a grand jury, typically made up of 16 to 23 people who assess evidence put to them by prosecutors and decide whether there is enough to charge someone with a criminal offence.
The term indictment itself is the formal name for a list of charges, which contains basic information to inform the person in question about the crimes they have been accused of by prosecutors.
Trump says he will host news conference on Monday
A few moments ago, Donald Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, saying he would hold a news conference in New Jersey on Monday.
He wrote: "A Large, Complex, Detailed but Irrefutable REPORT on the Presidential Election Fraud which took place in Georgia is almost complete & will be presented by me at a major News Conference at 11:00 A.M. on Monday of next week in Bedminster, New Jersey.
"Based on the results of this CONCLUSIVE Report, all charges should be dropped against me & others - There will be a complete EXONERATION!
"They never went after those that Rigged the Election. They only went after those that fought to find the RIGGERS!"
He then posted again one minute later writing "witch hunt" in capital letters.
Could the charges affect Trump's popularity?
Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent
Donald Trump has been called “Teflon Don” for his seeming ability to shake off political scandals that would have stuck to - and taken down - normal politicians.
It’s a nickname that was originally coined for a different kind of “don” - New York City mafia boss John Gotti, who had the uncanny knack of avoiding criminal prosecution.
Now, however, Trump is facing the kind of racketeering charges - allegations of running a “criminal enterprise” - that ultimately landed the New York mobster in prison.
Juries will determine whether Trump’s latest indictment ends with a similar legal fate. The former president’s political fortunes however - at least when it comes to winning the Republican presidential nomination - seem destined not to be adversely affected.
Trump has framed the legal charges against him as an attempt by his political enemies - the Washington ruling class, the elites, the vested powerful interests - to thwart his return to the White House. It’s an argument that his supporters, alienated from and angry at the established order and suspicious of government, have taken to heart.
While there are some conservatives who have their doubts about Trump - his ability to win elections and effectively govern - they are disorganised and divided.
As long as they remain so, Trump will have the upper hand.
The 19 defendants - including Donald Trump - have until noon on 25 August to surrender to authorities in Fulton County, Georgia.
When he arrives, according to procedure, Trump is expected to have his mugshot photo taken, unlike in his other arraignments.
The local sheriff has vowed that the court would follow "our normal practices" - so the former president will be treated no differently to any other person.
Earlier this month, Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat told local media: “Unless somebody tells me differently, we are following our normal practices, and so it doesn’t matter your status, we’ll have a mugshot ready for you."
At previous arraignments, although his fingerprints were recorded, Trump did not have a mugshot taken because he was thought to be too well known to need it.
If he does have his picture taken, it is thought he will be the first US president to have a mugshot - although there are no guarantees the image will be made public.
Trump was 'angry but prepared'
Katty Kay
US special correspondent
A person close with the former president tells me that last night Donald Trump had been “angry but prepared” for these latest indictments in Georgia (which his team had long been expecting).
The Trump Team’s strategy, according to people close to him, will be to push for a delay in this case, then win the election in 2024 and hope that the Republican Governor of Georgia will pardon him.
Meet the lawyer representing Trump
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Drew Findling is well-known amongst Georgia celebritiesImage caption: Drew Findling is well-known amongst Georgia celebrities
Drew Findling, 64, has represented Cardi B, Migos and Gucci Mane in
court, and now he is adding Donald Trump to his list of clients.
His politics don’t align with Trump's - Findling once called the former president "racist" and "pathetic" on social media. But Findling says his professional life is separate
from his personal tweets.
“We do not choose or exclude our clients based on their
political beliefs,” he told VICE News.
Findling's teammate is Jennifer Little, who according to her
website has nearly two decades of experience prosecuting and defending criminal
and civil cases.
Live Reporting
Edited by Marianna Brady and Brandon Livesay
All times stated are UK
ReutersCopyright: Reuters -
Yesterday, the US state of Georgia charged former US President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies with conspiring to overturn his US election loss
-
There are 41 total charges listed, with 13 against Trump - including racketeering and election meddling
-
Earlier Trump posted twice on his social network Truth Social. One post said he will be presenting a "large, complex, detailed" report on Monday, while the other simply said "Witch Hunt"
-
He says this report will exonerate him
-
The former president has now been criminally indicted four times, he's facing 78 charges in three other cases including election interference, hush money paid to a porn star and hoarding classified documents
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images 
BBCCopyright: BBC Salleigh GrubbsImage caption: Salleigh Grubbs 
Superior Court of Fulton CountyCopyright: Superior Court of Fulton County 
ReutersCopyright: Reuters 
ReutersCopyright: Reuters Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is at the centre of the Georgia indictmentImage caption: Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is at the centre of the Georgia indictment 
MSNBCCopyright: MSNBC Clinton has previously said Trump was "threatening our democracy"Image caption: Clinton has previously said Trump was "threatening our democracy" 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images Ballot papers are checked in the 2020 vote in GeorgiaImage caption: Ballot papers are checked in the 2020 vote in Georgia Video caption: From grand jury to arraignment...US legal terms explained in under 90 secondsFrom grand jury to arraignment...US legal terms explained in under 90 seconds 
EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockCopyright: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images Drew Findling is well-known amongst Georgia celebritiesImage caption: Drew Findling is well-known amongst Georgia celebrities
Latest PostThanks for joining us
We are now bringing our live coverage to a close.
If you'd like to read more about the criminal charges Donald Trump faces, here's a simple guide to his four big legal cases.
And for more on the 13 new charges brought against Trump in Georgia, click here.
Our coverage today was edited by Brandon Livesay, Marianna Brady, Alexandra Fouché and Tiffany Wertheimer. It was written by Thomas Mackintosh, Adam Durbin, Ali Abbas Ahmadi, Barbara Tasch, Ece Goksedef, Jamie Whitehead and Emily Atkinson. Kayla Epstein, Madeline Halpert and Sarah Smith brought you the latest from Georgia.
Here's the latest
If you're just joining us, here's a rundown of what's been happening:
Jack Smith went narrow, Fani Willis swung wide
Kayla Epstein
Reporting from Georgia
At first glance, the federal charges against Trump for 2020 election interference and the Georgia state charges seem to have a lot of overlap.
Both deal heavily with the actions of Trump and his associates in Georgia, and even zero in on the same actions.
But the prosecutors in each case have taken a very different strategic approach.
Jack Smith, the Justice Department special counsel overseeing the case in Washington DC, indicted only Donald Trump - though the indictment mentions unnamed co-conspirators who allegedly helped carry out election interference.
Prosecuting only Trump allows Smith to move much faster, as the government has indicated it would like a speedy trial ahead of the 2024 election.
Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney in Georgia, did the opposite: she charged Trump along with 18 other co-defendants in a racketeering case.
It's a sprawling legal strategy that allows her to try multiple figures at once. Willis is trying to hold several people responsible for a wide range of activity in Georgia, all while pointing the finger at Trump.
In fact, several of the named defendants in the Georgia case - Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Jeffrey Clark, Sidney Powell and Kenneth Cheseboro - are also unnamed co-conspirtators in the federal indictment.
Willis's case is the first time they are actually being charged for their alleged attemps to help the former president interfere in the 2020 election.
Rudy Giuliani jailed mobsters with a charge he now faces
Before Rudy Giuliani was Trump's personal lawyer, and prior to serving as mayor of New York City, has was a federal prosecutor.
In the 1980s, Giuliani made headlines around the world for aggressively going after New York's Italian-American mafia, the infamous "Five Families".
The investigation - which involved hundreds of FBI agents and New York police officers - saw extensive use of listening devices, discreetly placed in locations including an East Harlem social club and a mob driver's Jaguar used to ferry gangsters across the city.
Anyone who can be connected to a criminal enterprise can be convicted under Rico, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
But now, decades after using Rico to tackle organisational crime, Giuliani is on the other side of the law.
He faces 13 charges, more than any of the co-accused except for Trump himself.
Giuliani has dismissed the investigation against him as politically motivated.
You can read more about Giuliani and his prosecutions against NYC crime families here.
The ex-Kanye publicist charged alongside Trump
Among the list of lawyers and political movers and shakers listed on the indictment is a name you might not be familiar with, Trevian C. Kutti.
Kutti is the ex-publicist of Kanye West - the rapper now known as Ye. Kutti was also previously a spokesperson for R. Kelly.
According to the charges filed against Kutti, she went to a Georgia election worker's home in January 2021, when Trump's team were trying to find ways to challenge the state's election results.
Kutti allegedly pressured the worker to make a false statement.
The Chicago-based publicist has been charged with violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute, conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings, and influencing a witness.
A spokesperson for Ye told Reuters that Kutti was not associated with the rapper "at the time of the facts".
You might remember Ye himself ran for president in 2020, and has spoken about running again in 2024.
Why Trump might try to 'remove' the case
Kayla Epstein
Reporting from Georgia
While Trump's legal team has not laid out their strategy in public, there are a few moves they could make to defend him against the charges.
The first is requesting that the case be "removed" from state court to federal court.
Trump's lawyers could argue that as president, he was acting as an officer of the federal government in order to ensure the legitimacy of the 2020 election, Anthony Michael Kreis of Georgia State University College of Law explained.
Moving the case to federal court would widen the jury pool beyond Democratic-leaning Fulton County, though plenty of people here have mixed opinions of Trump.
Another obvious defence for Trump to attempt is a First Amendment argument - that his false claims of election fraud in Georgia was protected political speech.
Will we see all 19 defendants at trial? Not likely
Kayla Epstein
Reporting from Georgia
A total of 19 defendants are named in this indictment, with Donald Trump at the top of the list. But not all of them could wind up standing trial.
It's not unusual in a racketeering case for some of the defendants to take plea deals or flip and work with prosecutors in exchange for a lighter punishment, Anthony Michael Kreis of Georgia State University College of Law explains.
"Prosecutors often start big and winnow people out through plea deals and other means," Kreis told me.
"There will be deals that will be struck, there will be offers made, some people might turn into states' evidence in order to save themselves the lengthy and stressful process of a trial."
By the time this case goes before a jury, those 19 defendants could whittle down to a smaller number.
"For those who don't reach deals, Willis says she plans to try all of the defendants together" Kreis says.
What does a racketeering case mean for Trump?
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from Georgia
Yesterday, Donald Trump and 18 others were charged with violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (Rico) Act.
Presenting that type of case allows Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to broaden the evidence and witnesses that she can present at trial, according to former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani.
Those charges also carry a potential 20-year prison sentence, which is more severe than all the other charges Trump and his co-defendants are facing, Rahmani told the BBC.
But Rico cases are also highly complex, and this is Trump's fourth indictment, meaning Willis is likely fourth in line for a trial, the timing of which could be complicated by Trump's run for president in 2024, he said.
That "raises the question of whether Willis waited too long" to bring charges, Rahmani added.
Trump's a fighter - Republican Party chairperson in Georgia
Sarah Smith
North America editor
Committed Republicans in Cobb County, Georgia, have been expecting these charges.
They’ve watched Donald Trump’s support increase each time he gets arrested and are clearly not worried about his legal problems.
I attended a breakfast hosted by the local Republican party in Marietta, Georgia. There they held a straw poll asking attendees to write on slips of paper who they want as their party’s presidential candidate - Trump won easily.
I asked Salleigh Grubbs, the Republican Party chairperson in Cobb County, if Trump can successfully run for president if he's fighting four court cases at the same time.
She says their straw poll here speaks for itself. “He's a fighter, he's used to fighting, he's been fighting for years. So I think he'll have no problem,” Grubbs told me.
Wearing a bright red cap with "USA" and "Trump 45" on it, Jerry Ramsey, 79, shoots down any suggestions the former president is only running for office again to try and stay out of prison.
He tells me: “That makes no sense whatsoever. He started running for president. You know, the day after he lost or after they say he lost.”
Who is the judge overseeing Trump's case?
Like all judges in the state of Georgia, Inspector General Scott McAfee was randomly selected to oversee Donald Trump's case.
He only became a Fulton County Superior Court judge in February, having worked as an investigator and prosecutor with cases involving "major drug trafficking organizations, fraud, and illegal firearms possession", according to his biography.
When McAfee was appointed to the Office of Inspector General in 2021, Governor Brian Kemp said: "His experience as a tough prosecutor equips him to search out fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption, and bring those to justice who break the law."
In June, he fined pro-Trump attorney and conspiracy theorist, Lin Wood, $5,000 (£3,924) for violating an order forbidding him from insulting his former law partners.
A marathon day culminating in Trump charges
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from Georgia
Yesterday marked a long, whirlwind day here in Atlanta, where Trump and 18 other defendants were charged for their alleged involvement in a wide-ranging scheme to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
Reporters waited for hours all day long as several witnesses testified before the grand jury, which did not end up returning an indictment against the former president until after 10:00PM local time.
The day capped off just before midnight, as Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis appeared before reporters to break down the felony charges Trump and his alleged co-conspirators are facing.
And the saga could drag on for yet another week, as the defendants in the case don't have to turn themselves in until next Friday.
Raffensperger releases statement following Trump charges
In the leaked phone call where Donald Trump can be heard telling Georgia's top election official to "find 11,780 votes", it is Brad Raffensperger that you can hear on the other end, refusing to yield to pressure and telling Trump: "The data that you have is wrong."
The Secretary of State for Georgia - who is a Republican - has just released a statement, following last night's indictment of the former president.
“The most basic principles of a strong democracy are accountability and respect for the Constitution and rule of law. You either have it, or you don’t,” he wrote, with no direct mention of the charges.
The phone call between Trump and Raffensperger, which was recorded and released by the Washington Post in January 2021, helped spark the opening of the investigation by Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis.
Hillary Clinton’s smile goes viral
A picture of Hillary Clinton smiling on MSNBC as news broke of the charges against Trump has been widely shared on social media.
She was being interviewed live by host Rachel Maddow when the indictment was unsealed.
“This is not the circumstances in which I expected to be talking to you," Maddow said.
“I can’t believe this,” Clinton laughed.
Despite appearing happy in this moment, Clinton said she felt “great, profound sadness that we have a former president who has been indicted [on] so many charges that went right to the heart of whether or not our democracy would survive”.
Clinton lost the 2016 presidential election to Trump in what was a crushing defeat for the former first lady and secretary of state.
BBC Verify
Donald Trump's election claims from 2020
As Donald Trump faces another criminal indictment, here’s a reminder of some of the things the former president claimed after the 2020 presidential election in that phone call to Georgia's top election official, Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
Trump made claims about thousands of “dead people” voting, the alleged shredding of ballot papers, and the actions of electronic voting machines - all of which we fact-checked at the time and found no evidence for.
Read more here.
What does it mean to be indicted?
Video content
For those of you not steeped in the jargon of the US justice system, being indicted is the equivalent of being formally accused or charged with a crime.
The process often begins with what is known as a grand jury, typically made up of 16 to 23 people who assess evidence put to them by prosecutors and decide whether there is enough to charge someone with a criminal offence.
The term indictment itself is the formal name for a list of charges, which contains basic information to inform the person in question about the crimes they have been accused of by prosecutors.
Trump says he will host news conference on Monday
A few moments ago, Donald Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, saying he would hold a news conference in New Jersey on Monday.
He wrote: "A Large, Complex, Detailed but Irrefutable REPORT on the Presidential Election Fraud which took place in Georgia is almost complete & will be presented by me at a major News Conference at 11:00 A.M. on Monday of next week in Bedminster, New Jersey.
"Based on the results of this CONCLUSIVE Report, all charges should be dropped against me & others - There will be a complete EXONERATION!
"They never went after those that Rigged the Election. They only went after those that fought to find the RIGGERS!"
He then posted again one minute later writing "witch hunt" in capital letters.
Could the charges affect Trump's popularity?
Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent
Donald Trump has been called “Teflon Don” for his seeming ability to shake off political scandals that would have stuck to - and taken down - normal politicians.
It’s a nickname that was originally coined for a different kind of “don” - New York City mafia boss John Gotti, who had the uncanny knack of avoiding criminal prosecution.
Now, however, Trump is facing the kind of racketeering charges - allegations of running a “criminal enterprise” - that ultimately landed the New York mobster in prison.
Juries will determine whether Trump’s latest indictment ends with a similar legal fate. The former president’s political fortunes however - at least when it comes to winning the Republican presidential nomination - seem destined not to be adversely affected.
Trump has framed the legal charges against him as an attempt by his political enemies - the Washington ruling class, the elites, the vested powerful interests - to thwart his return to the White House. It’s an argument that his supporters, alienated from and angry at the established order and suspicious of government, have taken to heart.
While there are some conservatives who have their doubts about Trump - his ability to win elections and effectively govern - they are disorganised and divided.
As long as they remain so, Trump will have the upper hand.
Will Trump have his mugshot taken?
The 19 defendants - including Donald Trump - have until noon on 25 August to surrender to authorities in Fulton County, Georgia.
When he arrives, according to procedure, Trump is expected to have his mugshot photo taken, unlike in his other arraignments.
The local sheriff has vowed that the court would follow "our normal practices" - so the former president will be treated no differently to any other person.
Earlier this month, Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat told local media: “Unless somebody tells me differently, we are following our normal practices, and so it doesn’t matter your status, we’ll have a mugshot ready for you."
At previous arraignments, although his fingerprints were recorded, Trump did not have a mugshot taken because he was thought to be too well known to need it.
If he does have his picture taken, it is thought he will be the first US president to have a mugshot - although there are no guarantees the image will be made public.
Trump was 'angry but prepared'
Katty Kay
US special correspondent
A person close with the former president tells me that last night Donald Trump had been “angry but prepared” for these latest indictments in Georgia (which his team had long been expecting). The Trump Team’s strategy, according to people close to him, will be to push for a delay in this case, then win the election in 2024 and hope that the Republican Governor of Georgia will pardon him.
Meet the lawyer representing Trump
Drew Findling, 64, has represented Cardi B, Migos and Gucci Mane in court, and now he is adding Donald Trump to his list of clients.
His politics don’t align with Trump's - Findling once called the former president "racist" and "pathetic" on social media. But Findling says his professional life is separate from his personal tweets.
“We do not choose or exclude our clients based on their political beliefs,” he told VICE News.
Findling's teammate is Jennifer Little, who according to her website has nearly two decades of experience prosecuting and defending criminal and civil cases.