Donald Trump stopped by the famed Cuban restaurant Versaille following his historic arraignment in Miami’s federal courthouse on Tuesday.
After making his first appearance in front of a federal judge for his alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving the White House, the former president made the unannounced appearance at the Little Havana eatery where supporters met him.
Trump exited his vehicle to greet supporters, shake hands and take photos with those holding “Trump 2024” flags.
According to NBC affiliate WTVJ, the political figure, who turns 77 on Wednesday, was met with a crowd who sang “Happy Birthday” upon his arrival. The group included the likes of former MMA fighter Jorge Masvidal and Florida State Sen. Ileana Garcia, and two Cuban-American Christian and Jewish religious leaders, who prayed over him, according to ABC affiliate WPLG.
Speaking to reporters before his departure, the 2024 presidential candidate said: “I think it’s a rigged deal here. We have a rigged country. We have a country that’s corrupt. We have a country that’s got no borders. We have a country that’s got nothing but problems. We’re a nation in decline, and then they do this stuff, and you see where the people are,” WLPG reported.
The surprise appearance comes after the former television personality pleaded not guilty to each of the 37 criminal offenses he faces. Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury last week.
The charges against the former president include 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information (a violation of the Espionage Act); one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice; one count of withholding a document or record; one count of corruptly concealing a document or record; one count of concealing a document in a federal investigation; one count of scheme to conceal; and one count of false statements and representations.
Each of the charges carries potential prison sentences, with the obstruction charges carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years per count. Violating the Espionage Act carries a maximum sentence of up to 10 years, and both the conspiracy and false statements charges carry sentences of up to five years per offense.
The federal indictment stems from an Aug. 8 search of the former president’s Mar-a-Lago home by the FBI as part of a criminal investigation that began after the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) revealed in February 2022 that officials had removed 15 boxes of documents from the property that should have been handed over at the end of his presidency.
A date for his next court appearance in the federal classified documents case has not yet been set.
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