Trump latest: Charges are helping ex-president - it's almost inevitable he wins nomination, says pollster

Thanks for following with Sky News as Donald Trump became the first former or current president in US history to be charged with a crime.

At a courthouse in New York City, he yesterday pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.

But before you go, here's what we learned today...

• Trump looked "genuinely worried" when he appeared in court for his arraignment, a former UK ambassador to the US said;
• The former president was accused of 'publicly intimidating' the judge in the case by congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez;
  
• A US pollster said the charges are helping Trump - and it has almost become inevitable that he will win the Republican nomination;
• Trump showed "no remorse" in court, a body language expert has said.

Donald Trump has become the first current or former president to be charged with a crime - marking a new chapter in American history.

He has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.

In the clip below, Sky News explains more about the charges...

Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over Donald Trump's criminal case, and his family have received "unsubstantiated threats" since the former president's hearing on Tuesday, sources have said.

There have been "dozens" of such threats recently to the judge and his chambers recently, one person told our US partner network NBC.

Others involved in the case - including Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg - have also received received threats since the proceedings took place. 

The NYPD detail assigned to the DA's office is arranging for extra security to be given to all affected staff, it has been reported.

Additionally, court security officers are now providing additional protection for the judge and the court as a precaution.

Former vice president Mike Pence has confirmed he won't appeal an order to testify in the US justice department's investigation of the Capitol riot.

He will be required to speak before a grand jury about conversations he had with Donald Trump leading up to the attack on the Capitol on 6 January 2021.

For context... On the morning of 6 January, thousands of Trump supporters - inspired by an incendiary speech he had just given near the White House in which he repeated claims he had been denied a second term due to voter fraud - marched to the Capitol.

It was in session at the time, overseeing the congressional certification of Joe Biden's presidential election win.

A large group, including armed members of far-right groups like the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers and QAnon, breached barriers at pedestrian entrances to the building's grounds. 

Several also entered the Capitol building itself after a mob smashed windows and forced open doors.

Trump's next court appearance has been scheduled for 4 December, with any trial likely to start in January next year.

However, his lawyers say they expect to file motions to the court to dismiss the case outright which, if approved by a judge, would stop the legal battle in its tracks. 

They have 45 days to file the request, and have already said a video of Alvin Bragg, the New York district attorney, discussing Trump's previous litigation is likely to be used to form part of their motion. 

But this case isn't his only legal worry. 

There are separate criminal probes into claims he unlawfully tried to overturn his 2020 election defeat in Georgia, and over his handling of classified documents after leaving office.

He could also face action over his alleged role in inciting an attack by his supporters on the Capitol building in Washington in January 2021. 

The prosecution in the Donald Trump case has alleged the former president "orchestrated a 'catch and kill' scheme" - but what does this mean?

The term "catch and kill" refers to the practice of buying the rights to a story without ever publishing it.

It is a way to keep potentially damaging stories or incriminating information about someone out of the public domain.

It's often done as a favour to someone influential.

Prosecutors say Trump paid three people to keep quiet about affairs - in the so-called "catch and kill" scheme to bury negative information and boost election results.

Donald Trump is the first former US president in history to face criminal charges, but he still wants to be the Republican nominee in next year's presidential election. 

One survey suggested a majority of Republicans thought he should still be allowed to run again – regardless of the case against him. So why does he remain such a champion for them? 

On the Sky News Daily, Sally Lockwood speaks to our US correspondent James Matthews. 

Plus, Amy Tarkanian, a Republican strategist and former chair of the Nevada Republican Party, and Sarah Elliott, spokesperson for Republicans Overseas UK, give their views. 

John Zogby, a US pollster, has told Sky News that "at least in the short run" Donald Trump's indictment will likely help his somewhat stilted political career.

He added that it is "close to inevitable" that Trump will secure the Republican presidential nomination for 2024 - rather than his closest challenger, Ron DeSantis.

Mr Zogby said: "The only two nationwide polls of Republicans show that his lead over his prime challenger in the presidential nomination, Ron DeSantis, has gone up to 31 points. Just two weeks earlier, it had been 14 points or so.

"This is already helping him - and not only among Republican voters. I suspect his numbers will probably go up just a bit more too now that the public is getting a full dose of this."

Presenter Mark Austin then made the point that there are two ways of looking at the situation as it stands... "That Democrats are either playing into his hands by giving him the opportunity to play the victim - play the martyr. Or, this is actually what the Democrats want - they want to have Donald Trump as their opponent."

Mr Zogby said that both of these scenarios are likely right.

"On one hand, they give him his victimhood and Trump flourishes - he's never better than when he's a victim. He speaks to so many self-described victims out there, that's the magic and the charm of who he is. He has solidified that - he's their spokesperson.

"On the other hand, Democrats should be careful what they wish for because yes, there is some evidence that in the national electorate Donald Trump has been damaged. But Democrats ought to be very, very careful, Trump did win in 2016."

Mr Zogby went on: "It's hard to see [how he doesn't get the nomination], unless he falls flat on his face somehow - I mean, he's been impeached twice, he's been indicted once. He's probably going to be indicted three or four times more.

"What hurts him? I don't know."

It seems Donald Trump is awake - and logged into his Truth Social account.

He took the opportunity to praise the kindness of "great patriots" inside and outside the New York City courtroom on Tuesday.

This is despite heavy criticism from Team Trump towards the judge in the case - and the district attorney...

Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, has provided a slither of insight into how Donald Trump's arrest is being received by world leaders.

Mr Blinken, who is in Brussels after Finland was formally accepted as part of the North Atlantic Alliance yesterday, said Trump's charges were not a topic of discussion.

He said: "As you know, well, I don't do politics.

"I can tell you, though, that the question you raised about the proceedings in New York actually did not come up in my conversations with NATO colleagues, nor did I get questions about the durability of our approach. 

"I think people are very focused on what we're actually doing."

Last night, Trump claimed that the charges against him are an "insult to our country".

"The world is already laughing at us," he told crowds in Mar-a-Lago.