Former President Donald Trump delivered a blistering and defiant speech from his New Jersey golf club hours after pleading not guilty to federal charges – calling the prosecution ‘the most evil and heinous abuse of power in the history of our country.’ 

‘I did everything right and they indicted me,’ he complained while surrounded by supporters back on his home turf after his day dealing with the criminal justice system.

Trump delivered meandering remarks where he inveighed against disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner and former FBI Director James Comey – then ran through classified documents clashes of the Bill Clinton administration.

He blasted prosecutors for ‘threatening me with 400 years in prison for possessing my own presidential papers’ – brushing aside the indictment, which accuses him of willfully maintaining national security information at properties including the Bedminster, New Jersey club where he spoke.

That could be the total sentence if Trump were to be convicted of each count against him, in what he termed ‘a political persecution like something out of a fascist or communist nation.’

Trump began his remarks by going after President Joe Biden, but soon went down memory lane talking about Hillary Clinton and former Vice President Dick Cheney. 

‘Today we witnessed the most evil and heinous abuse of power in the history of our country,’ Trump told an outdoor crowd at his Bedminster.

He claimed Biden would go down in history as ‘the president who together with a band of his closest thugs, misfits and Marxists tried to destroy American democracy.’ 

That is a charge the House January 6 committee leveled at him about his election overturn effort. Federal prosecutors doing their own probe appear to be moving with haste. 

He pointed to the use of the 1917 Espionage Act to go after him for alleged violations of willful possession of national security information, after the indictment said he had nuclear information at Mar-a-Lago and claimed to have Pentagon attack plans at the Bedminster club where he was speaking.

Trump termed it ‘one of the most outrageous and vicious legal theories ever put forward in an American court of law.’ 

Once again, Trump spoke at length about Special Counsel Jack Smith, who in addition to heading the classified documents probe is running a probe based out of Washington on Trump’s election overturn efforts and January 6.

He termed him a ‘raging lunatic’ and said ‘he looks like a thug.’

Smith could be seen staring at Trump inside the courtroom during the historic proceedings.

He said he compared unfavorably with Special Counsel Robert Hur, who is investigating documents found at President Biden’s home and office. He called Hur a ‘very nice person.’

The former president claimed he had an ‘absolute right’ to declassify documents, even as the federal indictment included a tape transcript of him discussing having ‘highly classified’ information at the club.

‘As president, I could have declassified, but now I can’t,’ he said. 

‘Mine’s not such a nice person. Mine’s a deranged lunatic,’ Trump said.

There was a split-screen moment as Trump railed against prosecutors and President Joe Biden spoke on the South Lawn of the White House for a Juneteenth celebration.

At one point Fox News showed images of both men.  

Trump called the charges against him ‘fabricated,’ as his legal team prepares to bulk up to battle the charges in federal court before a judge Trump appointed.

Although Biden’s attorney general Merrick Garland appointed special counsel Jack Smith, who was in court in Miami with Trump on Wednesday, Trump accused Biden of having ‘political opponents arrested’ right ‘in the middle of a presidential election, in which he is losing very badly.’

Trump grinned as a crowd of supporters sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to him, then joked about how he had celebrated with family hours before he is to turn 77.

‘Nice birthday, wonderful birthday,’ he said. ‘They want 400 years,’ said, referencing numerous charges against him that carry heavy jail time.

Trump addressed a key photographic image from the indictment – material from a box allegedly containing ‘five eyes’ classified information all over the floor of a room of his club.

He spoke of the room ‘where someone not me – I wonder who it might have been – dumbed one of the very neatly arranged boxes all over the floor. 

He said boxes contained ‘clothing, memorabilia and much much more.’

‘I hadn’t had a chance to go through all the boxes. It’s a long, tedious job. It’s a long time, which I was prepared to do but I have a very busy life. I’ve had a very busy life,’ he said. 

Eric Trump, Donald Trump, Jr., and his wife Kimberly Guilfoyle were spotted in the crowd, but first lady Melania Trump wasn’t there.

‘I don’t know. I haven’t been briefed on that,’ Trump spokesman Steven Cheung told reporters.

Earlier, Trump left federal court and went straight to Miami’s iconic Cuban restaurant Versailles where he offered to buy food for everyone and listened to customers sing ‘Happy Birthday’.

The former president, who turns 77 tomorrow, prayed with religious leaders, took a photo with mixed martial arts fighter Jorge Masvidal and ripped a ‘government that’s out of control.’

‘Food for everyone!’ Trump shouted in the famous eatery in the surprise stop after he pleaded not guilty to 37 federal charges related to his mishandling of classified documents.

‘Some birthday. We got a government that’s out of control,’ Trump fumed. 

‘I think it’s going great,’ he said as he made his way through supporters on the day where he was fingerprinted, arrested and became the first president to appear in front of a judge charged with a federal crime.

‘I think it’s a rigged deal here,’ he added. ‘I’m going to make a little speech tonight in Bedminster and I hope you’re going to be there,’ the ex-president also said. 

Both Trump and his aide Walt Nauta were charged in a scheme to keep classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. Nauta walked alongside Trump at Versailles.  

The display of bravado came after Trump unsurprisingly tried to monetize the indictment by soliciting campaign contributions. 

‘Crooked Joe Biden and his Department of Injustice attempting to silence and imprison their opponent – a completely INNOCENT man – all in the name of maintaining their regime’s grip on power,’ according to one Trump fundraising email.

In court earlier, the 76-year-old pleaded not guilty to 37 counts after being booked and fingerprinted in the downtown Miami court complex. 

Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is handling the case for the Department of Justice, was seated in the front row of U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman’s courtroom, while the ex-president was seated with his lawyers. 

Trump has called Smith a variety of names, including a ‘deranged psycho.’  

The court case kicked off just before 3 p.m. EST. Trump was released and no bond was set. After about 20 minutes of arguing by opposing lawyers, the court ruled that the ex-president can’t talk to witnesses, including Nauta, about the case. 

Trump keeps his passport and remains free to travel.

Earlier the former commander-in-chief was arrested and fingerprinted, but was not handcuffed and no mugshot was taken. 

The booking procedure wrapped up shortly before 2:30 p.m. 

The back-and-forth about a list of witnesses whom Trump can’t interact with hints at some of the complexities of the case. 

A raft of government witnesses includes Trump employees at Mar-a-Lago. 

The stunning indictment released last week includes information that came from Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran. 

Nauta remains a close aide who according to the indictment exchanged messages with Trump family members about boxes and flights.