Former President Donald Trump said it was a “very sad day for America” after pleading not guilty at his Thursday arraignment after being indicted on charges related to the 2020 election.

“This is a persecution of a political opponent,” Trump told reporters on the airport tarmac. “This was never supposed to happen in America.”

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“This is the persecution of the person that's leading by very, very substantial numbers in the Republican primary and leading Biden by a lot,” Trump said.

Trump appeared in Washington's federal courthouse after Special Counsel Jack Smith charged him on four felony counts: Conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights

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