Trump pleads not guilty at federal indictment hearing: Photos from outside Miami court

Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 37 felony counts related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents. This is first time the Department of Justice has ever charged a former president with a crime. 

Trump, who flew on his private plane to Miami on Monday, arrived at the courthouse at around 1:50 p.m. and was then booked. An official familiar with the proceeding said ahead of the hearing that the former president wouldn’t be “arrested” but instead “processed,” and in the loose custody of the U.S. Marshals. The U.S. Marshals will administer a digital fingerprint scan and collect typical information: date of birth, Social Security and recent address history. A decision about his passport will be made by pretrial services.

Officials told reporters ahead of the arraignment that there will be no mugshot.   

Cameras were not allowed in the courthouse. 

Special counsel Jack Smith, whose office led the investigation that led to the Justice Department to charge Trump, arrived in Miami on Monday night. 

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Previous reporting:

Former President Donald Trump is set to make history in Miami when he appears in federal court to answer for more than three dozen charges of mishandling classified documents after leaving office.

Trump is scheduled to appear in court at 3 p.m. WINK News has reporters and Digital producers at the courthouse to give moment-to-moment updates.

K-9 units were seen sweeping the courthouse after 1 p.m. ahead of Trump’s arrival.

“It’s a horrible thing for this country,” Trump said at a campaign event before heading to the courthouse. “I mean, the only good thing about it is it’s driven my poll numbers way up, can you believe it?”

The federal indictment said the documents found at Mar-a-Lago were stored in a ballroom, a bathroom shower and a storage room.

Trump’s staunch supporters are in it for the long haul, and more are expected to line Miami streets ahead of and during the court proceedings.

“This is, this is like Castro and Putin crap,” said a Trump supporter named Keith. “I mean, you can’t take out a president like that. He’s the leading candidate.”

“He’s playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers,” said Tampa Bay resident Julia Davis. “He’s a genius and is steps ahead. He understands the common man. He speaks to us. Let’s not forget he’s actually told us we’re the top of the totem pole—it’s our nation.”

Trump is still leading the way among Republican candidates. He’s got 61% support from likely GOP voters, even with federal charges against him. A CBS poll showed 76% of likely GOP voters believe the indictment is politically motivated.

University of Central Florida political science professor Aubrey Jewett told WINK News that Trump is going to use that to his advantage to rally his supporters. Right now Trump is riding high with these ratings, but how long will it last as these legal troubles continue?

“Politically, he is just going to be on the attack, very aggressive, to raise a lot of money and continue to try to keep people in his camp,” Jewett said. “Just saying, ‘Well, Hillary got away with it. Joe Biden got away with it.’ You know, politically, that probably helps, but in a court of law that’s not necessarily going to help you out in your case.”

Even though prosecutors have filed for a speedy trial, that likely will not happen, especially since we are dealing with classified documents as evidence.

Jewett said the longer this drags on, the more it could hurt Trump in the polls if his supporters say “enough.”

Since the indictment was announced last week, Miami has been preparing for Trump’s court appearance, expecting thousands of people to rally for the presidential candidate.

Miami police are stationed just around the corner, and the Department of Homeland Security is present, too. Miami Police Chief Manny Morales said they are prepared to handle crowds from 5,000 to 50,000 people.

Yellow barricades have been set up around the courthouse, and officers were seen patrolling the area with dogs.

Trump will be coming from Trump National Doral Golf Club, around 30 to 40 minutes away, depending on traffic. It will be hard to miss his motorcade when he arrives at the courthouse, but we might not even see the former president in person; he will likely be brought into the courthouse through an underground garage and tunnel.

There, he will be processed and have his fingerprints taken before his hearing at 3 p.m. Trump is expected to plead not guilty.

There were no planned street closures around the courthouse, but Morales said that could change as the day goes on.

“Make no mistake about it: We’re taking this event extremely serious,” Morales said. “We know that there is a potential of things taking a turn for the worst, but that’s not the Miami way.”

Trump called on his supporters to protest peacefully. After he leaves court, he will fly back to New Jersey for a fundraiser.

As of Monday night, the former president was still trying to find a Florida attorney willing to join his defense team. He spent all afternoon meeting with his legal team and interviewing lawyers.

People with knowledge of those meetings say there have been disagreements over the legal strategy. Some people on Trump’s team want an aggressive partisan strategy that goes after the Department of Justice. The other side is urging Trump to go with a more traditional defense and believes he can win at trial.

There is thus a chance we may even be delayed further.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available. CBS News contributed to this report.