Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that he conspired to overturn the results of the 2020 election to remain in power, appearing in a federal courtroom blocks from the U.S. Capitol that was stormed by his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021.
While the plea amounted to two words, their resonance was enormous. Trump denied the charges in the indictment, the first time a president has been accused of blocking the peaceful transfer of power to his successor.
To his supporters, Trump’s postelection campaign to claim that he actually won the election was an act of courage; for his detractors, the charges are a long-awaited accounting for refusing to accept the loss. The charges brought in Washington directly relate to Trump’s conduct in the aftermath of the 2020 election that he lost to Joe Biden, and will shadow him on the 2024 campaign trail as he seeks to win the Republican nomination and recapture the White House.
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