Trump pleads not guilty and claims ‘political persecution’ | First Thing

Former president rallies supporters in New Jersey after appearing in court in Miami on federal charges

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Good morning.

Donald Trump became the first former US president to face federal criminal charges yesterday, after pleading not guilty to all counts related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Hours after his arraignment, Donald Trump was in New Jersey, where he told a crowd of supporters at one of his golf resorts that his indictments were a corrupt" and political pursuit" designed to destroy him.

Here's a rundown of all the key players mentioned in Trump's 44-page federal indictment. And Richard Luscombe sketches the scene in the courtroom.

Adding to Trump's legal complications yesterday, a federal judge ruled that E Jean Carroll, the New York writer who last month won a $5m jury verdict against the former president, can now pursue a related $10m defamation case against him.