Who is Donald Trump and why are people talking about him?

Donald Trump has become the first former president of the USA to face criminal charges.

It means he's also the first president to be arrested and to have to go to court to defend himself against the charges.

He's accused of hiding payments made to a woman he's alleged to have had a relationship while he was married, so that she would keep quiet about it as he ran for President in 2016.

Prosecutors say that hiding the payments was against the law, but Donald Trump says he hasn't done anything wrong. He says the accusations only exist because people don't like him as a politician.

Donald Trump and his legal team sat together in court

In court, Mr Trump was accused of 34 offences of making false business records to which he officially claimed he was "not guilty".

After the court case, Mr Trump flew home to Florida were he made a speech to his supporters rubbishing the case against him.

A court will now decide whether the former president is innocent or guilty. If he is found guilty, experts say the most likely outcome is a fine, but there is also a chance he could be sent to prison.

However, whatever happens, there's nothing in the US rules to stop Mr Trump from running for President in 2024, as he says he wants to.

Who is Donald Trump?

Donald Trump used to present the American version of The Apprentice TV show

Donald Trump is an American politician, businessman and former reality TV star.

He was the president of the United States of America from 2017 to 2021.

He is also famous for being the host of the American version of the TV show, The Apprentice, before he became president.

He lost the US presidential election in 2021 and he has said he plans to run for the top job again in 2024.

Why is Donald Trump famous?

Trump is a businessman known for developing hotels and casinos

Although many people are aware of who Donald Trump because of his presidency, he was actually well known before he took up the top job in the White House.

Mr Trump is also a businessman who has a made a lot of money through buying and selling land and properties, like the houses people live in, or the buildings businesses run from.

Much of the 76-year-old's fame came from the many properties he owns, including big homes, golf courses, resorts, hotels and casinos.

The former president was also the host of the TV show The Apprentice for 14 seasons, from 2004 to 2015.

It was very successful in America and the British version of the popular show, hosted by Alan Sugar, was introduced in the UK not long after.

Donald Trump was a host on the American version of the Apprentice for over 10 years

In 2016 he won the election to become US president.

Donald Trump is said to have been be richest president in American history, with his fortune estimated at around $3 billion.

He is married to Melania Trump and he has five children and 10 grandchildren. Four of his children are adults and his youngest son, Barron, is 17.

What is Donald Trump accused of?

The former president has lots of fans, and lots who don't like him - some have been celebrating the news of his criminal charge

Donald Trump has been indicted because he is accused of paying $130,000 (£100,000) to a woman to hide a secret relationship with her while he was married to his wife Melania, just before he became president.

He says that he never had a secret relationship.

Records show that he did send the woman money, and lawyers say that if the reason for the payment is not properly explained, this could be illegal.

As the payment came just before Donald Trump became president, some say that if the woman wasn't paid money to keep quiet about the relationship, then he may never have won the election.

That could be breaking election rules.

Could Donald Trump go to jail?

Donald Trump has apparently said he "wants to be seen in handcuffs"

The kind of laws Donald Trump has been accused of breaking could mean he's committed a "felony" which in American law means a crime which can lead to jail.

If he is found guilty and goes to jail, he could still stand as a candidate in next year's Presidential election.

Donald Trump says this indictment shows that his political opponents are doing anything to stop him being President again.

What happened when Donald Trump was president?

Trump was officially sworn in in January 2017

Donald Trump was officially sworn in as the 45th president of the United States in January 2017 after winning the election in November 2016.

The main policies he believed in were focussed on boosting the US economy, creating jobs, cutting taxes and stopping illegal immigrants coming to the US.

His slogan was that he wanted to 'Make America Great Again' and that he would sort out the US politicians who he said had lost touch with ordinary people.

He was also president when the United States dealt with the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

His time in charge saw a lot of controversial moments which divided opinion and made big news headlines.

He was put on trial twice by his fellow politicians for his behaviour before and during his time as president - a process known as impeachment, but on neither occasion was he removed from office.

Although many of his supporters felt he did a good job, others attacked his presidency and at the election at the end of his first period in charge, he lost the vote and his job.

One of the most controversial moments involving Mr Trump took place as his presidency was coming to an end.

After Joe Biden won the presidential election, Mr Trump and some of his allies claimed that the election was 'stolen' by Mr Biden and that Mr Trump was the true winner.

There was no evidence for these claims.

However after his loss, and following a speech by Mr Trump, violent crowds attacked the important US government building, the Capitol, in protest.

It was an event that shocked a lot of people all over the world and Mr Trump was accused of being at least partly to blame.

Will Donald Trump run for president again?

The former US president has announced he'll be running for the top job again

Donald Trump has announced he'll be running for president again in 2024. This means he wants to stand as a candidate for his party, the Republican Party, again in the next election.

During his speech announcing his plans to re-run for the leadership position, Trump blamed the current leader Joe Biden for many of the issues America is currently facing and said that under his guidance, "America's comeback starts right now."

However, Donald Trump's presidential bid is likely to look very different this time around.

When he first came into power, he had no experience in politics, but now, people will remember him for what they consider to be both his successes and failures.

He's also likely to have competition from other successful candidates in his own party who are also looking to become the Republican nominee in the next presidential election.