![Trump gatecrashes wedding with speech wearing same suit he had on in court](/upload/news/2023/08/04/82306.jpg)
Hours after pleading not guilty to attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election, Donald Trump made a surprise appearance by gatecrashing a wedding at his golf club.
Videos taken by those at the wedding show Trump, appearing to still be wearing the same suit from court but without the signature red tie, waving at the crowd and shaking hands as they cheered and chanted "USA, USA" in New Jersey.
Someone then seems to pass the former president a microphone. He exchanges a few words with the bride before making an impromptu speech.
A lot of what he was saying was drowned out by the shouting and cheering from the wedding guests. However, one of the things that can be heard is the 77-year-old saying: "I heard so much about this couple... the bride is totally beautiful."
Just a few hours prior to this, Trump had been in a courtroom in Washington DC charged with four criminal counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States. During his brief arraignment, the former president entered a plea of not guilty.
He briefly spoke to the press afterwards from the tarmac at Reagan Airport, before boarding Trump Force One. He said: "This is a very sad day for America.
"This is the persecution of the person that is leading by very, very substantial numbers in the Republican primary and leading [Joe] Biden by a lot."
Trump was said to be "sour" following his arraignment hearing, with one source saying he had been "irked" by the magistrate judge referring to him simply as Mr Trump, rather than Mr President.
Bu the time he got to the wedding at his Bedminster golf club, Trump appeared in better spirits. He was seen laughing and grinning as the crowd gave him a raucous reception.
Following his arraignment, Trump declared he had a "very good day". Posting to his Truth Social account, the businessman said: "Considering the fact that I had to fly to a filthy, dirty, falling apart & very unsafe Washington, DC, today & that I was then arrested by my political opponent, who is losing badly to me in the polls, crooked Joe Biden, it was a very good day!"
It's not the first time Trump has turned up uninvited to a wedding on his estate. Both during and after his presidency, he was known to surprise a happy couple on their special day.
At a wedding at his Mar-a-Lago resort in March 2021, the former president took direct aim at President Joe BIden's foreign policy. He claimed the Mexican border was "the worst anyone's ever seen it" and complained about his election loss, before finally paying tribute to the "beautiful couple."
His latest surprise appearance comes after a grand jury indictment on Tuesday, August 1, accused the former president of spreading "lies" and "sham" investigations while stoking an "angry" mob on January 6 in the Capitol riots. He's also accused of using "unlawful means" to try and keep hold of power after losing office to Joe Biden and spreading "lies" that sparked violence during the riot.
Trump faced a federal judge on Thursday afternoon, who read out the four federal charges against him that carry a combined maximum sentence of 55 years in prison. Magistrate Judge Upadhyayay set the next hearing for August 28, warning Trump not to try and influence jurors.