Donald Trump’s third arrest: As it happened

Donald Trump appeared at a Washington DC court on Thursday 3 August to be formally arrested and arraigned on charges of conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

The former president pleaded not guilty to all four charges against him.

Mr Trump was, on Tuesday, indicted by a grand jury hearing evidence in special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the alleged conspiracy to overturn the election and the resulting January 6 Capitol riot.

After appearing at a DC courthouse, the former president claimed he is facing “persecution”, adding “this is not what is supposed to happen in America”.

Mr Trump falsely claimed “When you look at what is happening, this is a persecution of a political opponent, this was never supposed to happen in America,” from the steps of his private plane. The Department of Justice has repeatedly stated that its criminal investigation is independent of the White House and the political apparatus of the government.