Former President Donald Trump left a Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday afternoon and flew immediately back to Florida to speak directly to supporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort and residence.
At least 500 prominent supporters were reportedly invited to hear him speak and plead his innocence.
Pro-Trump supporters from Congress were expected to be at Mar-a-Lago as the former president ended an afternoon with the country watching. He pleaded not guilty in court to 34 counts of falsifying business records and other charges stemming from an investigation into a hush money scheme meant to allegedly help him in his 2016 run for the White House.
Supporters were seen lining the streets of Palm Beach waving flags as they waited for and then watched Trump's caravan travel from Palm Beach International Airport to Mar-a-Lago.
On Tuesday, Trump became the first former United States president to be criminally charged.
Back at Mar-a-Lago, the former president spoke as a crowd cheered. He went through various aspects of his legal, political, and business life as he defended his time in office and made arguments to discredit various figures in New York and Washington who have opposed his politics and sought to investigate his business dealings.
