Former President Donald Trump sits at the defense table with his defense team in a Manhattan court, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in New York. Trump is set to appear in a New York City courtroom on charges related to falsifying business records in a hush money investigation, the first president ever to be charged with a crime. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

NEW YORK (AP) – Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, according to several news reports.

The charges stem from a hush-money payment during the 2016 campaign.

Photos from the courtroom showed Trump sitting at the table reserved for defendants and their attorneys. His legal team surrounded him, two seated on each side of the former president.

Trump leaned forward slightly, his shoulders rounded, but he didn’t turn his face away from photographers given permission to be in the courtroom just before the hearing.

This is a developing story. For the complete story, read Wednesday’s print and online editions.