Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 37 federal counts alleging he mishandled classified documents.

Trump entered the plea through his lawyer, Todd Blanche.

“We most certainly enter a plea of not guilty,” Blanche told the magistrate judge overseeing the hearing.

Trump wore a dark suit and a red tie. He sat with his arms crossed while the magistrate judge described the indictment.

Jack Smith, the special counsel appointed to oversee the Department of Justice’s probes into Trump was also on hand. So was Trump’s co-defendant, his aide Walt Nauta.

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Julian Conley listens during opening statements in his trial at Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. The 25-year-old is accused of fatally shooting 8-year-old Secoriea Turner in July 2020. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com