Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016.

Trump, who wore a dark blue suit and red tie, was driven in a motorcade from his New York residence at Trump Tower to the courthouse where he exhibited little emotion when he waved to the crowd assembled outside. Trump, who has called the charges politically motivated, held his fist in the air in a gesture to reporters as he departed Trump Tower.

He was due to surrender to the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg before an arraignment proceeding before Justice Juan Merchan. At an arraignment, a defendant hears charges and can enter a plea. Trump was fingerprinted but no mugshot photo was taken.

Trump, who served as president from 2017 to 2021, in November announced a bid to regain the presidency in 2024 in a bid to deny Democratic President Joe Biden, who beat him in 2020, a second term in the White House. He has been a familiar figure for decades in New York, where he was raised, built his real estate business and became a celebrity.

The indictment is a historic first for any sitting or former U.S. president. The Manhattan grand jury that indicted Trump heard evidence about a $130,000 payment to Daniels in the waning days of the 2016 presidential campaign.

Daniels has said she was paid to keep quiet about a sexual encounter she had with Trump in 2006, which Trump has denied. The charges, however, do not include any allegations of wrongdoing by Daniels.

Trump's lawyers had urged the judge to block any videography, photography and radio coverage, arguing it would worsen “an already almost circus-like atmosphere.”

However, five photographers were admitted to the courtroom before the arraignment to take pictures for several minutes. A photo taken by a photographer in the courtroom showed Trump sitting at the defence table, flanked by lawyers.

Trump faces multiple legal woes, including a separate investigation into his finances by New York state prosecutors. Any trial is at least more than a year away, legal experts said. Being indicted or even convicted does not legally prevent Trump from running for president.

The White House remained mum on the drama in New York. “I think the American people should feel reassured that when there is an ongoing case like this one we're just not commenting,” White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.

Trump has urged a venue change, calling the Manhattan Criminal Court a “very unfair venue” and urging that the case be moved to the New York City borough of Staten Island, which regularly votes Republican.

According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday, Trump's lead has widened over rivals in the Republican Party's presidential nominating contest, with 48% of Republicans saying they want Trump to be their party's presidential nominee, up from 44% last month. Second-place Florida Governor Ron DeSantis fell from 30% to around 19%. More than two-thirds of poll respondents said they believed Trump paid hush money to Daniels, but half said the charges were politically motivated.

Pro-Trump demonstrators, including Gina Witcher, 55, of Maryland, said they felt the indictment was “a very scary indictment” and accused Democratic prosecutors of going after conservatives for political reasons. Meanwhile, anti-Trump demonstrators, including Manhattan resident Kim Britt, 69, held signs reading “Tick Tock Time's Up!” and argued that “if anyone is above the law, then we're not going to get anywhere.”