Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to all four "election lies" charges during his appearance at a Washington DC court
Prosecutors did not ask for Trump to be detained but he was warned of "consequences" if he were to communicate about the facts of the case
The former president is accused of "fuelling" the January 6 attack on the US Capitol by sowing distrust in the 2020 election
The indictment also says he pressured election officials to change results in a failed attempt to cling on to power
Trump said on the airport tarmac after court that the case is a "persecution of a political opponent" to hurt his chance of re-election in 2024
Trump is the favourite to be the Republican candidate in the 2024 election despite being charged in two other unrelated cases
This concludes the BBC's live page of Donald Trump's court appearance in Washington DC.
For more related coverage:
Thank you to our team of journalists: Kayla Epstein, Sam Cabral, Bernd Debusmann, Max Matza, Mike Wendling, Adam Durbin and Brandon Drenon.
The editors for today's live page were: Emma Owen, Brandon Livesay, Marianna Brady and Dulcie Lee.
Sam Cabral
Reporting from court
Donald Trump is not a man used to waiting.
But at a court hearing in the nation's capital, the former US president found himself fidgeting in his seat while he waited 20 minutes for the judge to arrive.
In the meantime, he also stole furtive glances at Special Counsel Jack Smith, the prosecutor who has now indicted him in two separate federal cases.
In recent days, Trump has raged on social media against what he calls a continuing "witch hunt" led by a "deranged" and "wild" Smith.
But in the courtroom, he had to stay silent.
Trump listened carefully and answered politely, save for the occasional noticeable shake of the head in dismay.
In one moment, unprompted by the judge, he stood up to answer her question and was told he could sit back down.
Standing up later, he affirmed that his lawyers were entering a plea of not guilty on his behalf.
Kayla Epstein
US reporter
One defence strategy Trump and his lawyers will likely attempt is a First Amendment and free speech argument – that Trump’s false statements about election fraud were political speech and therefore protected by the US Constitution.
“After 2020, he saw all these irregularities, he got affidavits from around the country, sworn testimony, he saw the rules being changed in the middle of the election process - as a president, he’s entitled to speak on those issues,” his attorney, John Lauro, told CBS News.
Trump’s allies have already started making this argument in the court of public opinion.
Jack Smith’s indictment was “a complete violation of an individual’s First Amendment rights,” Republican congressman Byron Donalds told Fox News today.
But that argument runs into a problem: speech in service of a crime is not protected.
“What we know from an everyday application of criminal law is that if you engage in speech to trick or deny somebody of their rights, that’s an unlawful act,” Anthony Michael Kreis, a professor of constitutional and employment law at Georgia State University, told BBC News.
“We charge people all the time for this, where the speech is incidental to underlying criminal conduct.”
This is why the indictment lays out a broad picture of Trump using false rhetoric about the election during his attempts to reverse the results, and why the document points to several instances where top Trump officials told him that the election had not been stolen.
Image source, Reuters/Jane Rosenberg
Image source, Bill HennessyThe former president's jet has just landed in New Jersey after a busy few hours in Washington DC, where he pleaded not guilty to four criminal counts.
He'll be on his way back to his property in Bedminster now.
We're not sure if he will speak to media, but will bring you the latest as it happens.
Image source, REUTERS/Jane RosenbergThere were no cameras in the courtroom today, but a court sketch has just been released.
It features Donald Trump flanked by his lawyers - John Lauro on the right and Todd Blanche on the left.
Image source, Getty ImagesWalt Nauta (left) handed Trump an umbrella at Reagan airport
It was a rainy day during Donald Trump's visit to Washington, DC, where he heard criminal charges against him in court for the third time this year.
Luckily for Trump, his trusted aide Walt Nauta was there to hand the former president an umbrella as he exited a black SUV on the airport tarmac.
If that name, and face, is familiar, it's because Nauta has been in the news quite a bit lately.
That's because Nauta faces his own charges in the Mar-a-Lago confidential documents case, alongside Trump.
Nauta has been accused of helping to hide secret documents for his boss at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Both Trump and Nauta have pleaded not guilty in the case.
Next up, Kathleen from the BBC Voter Panel.
Kathleen McClellan is strongly anti-abortion and has backed Trump twice. She would prefer a younger candidate for 2024, but would vote for Trump if he becomes the nominee.
Quote MessageTruthfully, I'm sceptical about this indictment happening before an election. It seems as though they'll never stop trying to keep Donald Trump from running. This reminds me of regimes who jail political opponents. I don't think it will end until Trump is made ineligible to run for office. If this fails, they'll try something else. That's what makes this indictment look bad for America. I think January 6 will be remembered as a riot, not an insurrection. I had family living in Haiti years ago so I know what a real insurrection looks like. I think January 6 served a perfect device to smear Donald Trump and his supporters.
Nuha Nazy is a Democrat who sees this indictment as "a great step". She is upset that someone like Donald Trump could disrupt the long tradition of a peaceful transfer of power in the US.
Quote MessageI think we need a reckoning. This will go down as a stain on our history. I think an indictment is a great step. It gives Trump a chance to clear his name and get out from under the discussion of insurrection, if he is in fact not guilty as he claims. It allows the justice system to reinforce that no-one is above the law and that it will not shrink from difficult situations. For those, like me, who found January 6 to be antithetical to the peaceful transfer of power, we get to see him held to account. We may be challenged to accept a result other than guilty, but that's OK.
Let's hear from our BBC Voter Panel - a range of US voters from across the country.
Luke Gordon previously voted for Donald Trump, but he will be supporting Trump's Republican rivals in the 2024 election.
Quote MessageThere is nothing to celebrate with this indictment. It fuels both the Democrats who want to use the justice system for political gain and the Trump-leaning Republicans who already view the system as against them. The indictment serves only as another force pulling us apart as a country. Trump's indictments mark the start of an ugly new era in American politics. January 6 will always have a splintered legacy. Trump's base is big enough that no amount of indictments can tank his road to the Republican nomination.
Mike Wendling
US disinformation reporter
Image source, C-SpanTrump lawyer Alina Habba spoke to reporters outside court
Trump’s allies have been out in force, alleging the charges against the former president are politically motivated “election interference”.
It may seem ironic – given that Trump himself is being charged with illegally interfering with the 2020 vote – but his fans aren’t merely protesting his innocence. They’re trying to turn the tables and pointing fingers at the Biden administration.
Speaking outside the court just before today’s hearing, Trump's attorney Alina Habba rattled off a timeline of news events and allegations against President Biden, implying a vast conspiracy of tit-for-tat legal action guided from the top.
“This is election interference at its finest against the leading candidate right now for president,” she said.
“President Trump is under siege in a way that we have never seen before.”
The theme was quickly picked up by Trump’s biggest supporters in Congress – including Ohio Senator JD Vance and Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene both of whom repeated the “election interference” phrase on X, formerly known as Twitter.
It seems that a big part of the former president’s strategy – at least in public, if not in court – will be to skirt around the substance of the charges at hand and instead engage in whataboutery.
Donald Trump's plane has just taken off for the trip back to New Jersey.
We expect the former president will then head to his home in Bedminster.
Stay with us as we bring you the latest analysis of today's events.
Speaking to reporters outside of his private plane, Trump has denounced the investigation.
"This is a very sad day for America, and it was also very sad driving through Washington DC and seeing the filth and decay."
"This is not the place that I left," he says about the city on only his second visit back since leaving office.
Trump then describes the charges against him as the "persecution of a political opponent".
"If you can't prosecute them, persecute them," he says before leaving without taking any questions.
Image source, ReutersDonald Trump is speaking at the airport in Washington DC now, ahead of his short flight back to New Jersey.
We'll bring you all the key points from comments here.
Image source, ReutersTrump's motorcade has now left the courthouse and is headed to the airport.
He is expected to return to his home and golf resort in New Jersey after spending just an hour in the nation's capital.
Sam Cabral
Reporting from court
"This case will benefit from normal order, including a speedy trial," said a prosecutor on behalf of the government a few minutes ago before the hearing ended.
Trump's lawyer John Lauro pushed back and said his team needs time to weigh "the scope and extent" of the justice department's evidence in this case, given that the government has had three years to set forth its side.
He added a just and fair trial - one that protects Trump's constitutional rights - is just as important as a speedy trial.
Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from court
Donald Trump's court hearing has ended.
He exited through the back door that he came in through, with his legal team shuffling out behind him.
Sam Cabral
Reporting from court
The 28 August hearing will in part be a scheduling hearing, and the date for Trump's trial will be set then.
Special counsel Jack Smith said he sought a "speedy trial" when he announced the charges on Tuesday.