Donald Trump pleads not guilty to 34 charges in New York

The next court date is December 4, though it is not clear if he will be required to appear

A stone-faced Mr Trump entered the courtroom shortly before 2.30pm local time without saying anything.

Donald Trump conspired to illegally influence the 2016 election through a series of hush money payments designed to stifle claims that could be harmful to his candidacy, prosecutors said in unsealing a historic 34-count felony indictment against the former US president.

The payments, said Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy, were part of “an unlawful plan to identify and suppress negative information that could have undermined his campaign for president”.