Hours after he pleaded not guilty, Trump posted on his social media website that he was en route back to Mar-a-Lago.

“Just lifted off for Palm Beach, Florida,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The hearing was shocking to many in that they had no ‘surprises,’ and therefore, no case. Virtually every legal pundit has said that there is no case here. There was nothing done illegally!”

In another post, Trump, who is scheduled to give a speech at 8:15 p.m., also made a variety of claims about the costs surrounding his case, appearing to suggest that a “totally legal” $130,000 payment paled in comparison to the cost of Bragg’s probe.

From the moment the former president arrived at the courthouse, he was “very somber, no kidding around at all, very quiet and not his usual self,” a source with direct knowledge of the situation said.

“He really seemed to be affected by what was going on,” the source said.

Trump, who’s not usually described as quiet, didn’t try to approach the media at all, as television cameras caught only brief glimpses of his movements at the courthouse and outside.

Former Trump aides have been analyzing his state of mind for any sign that the indictment has had an impact, with one saying Trump has recently “been in good spirits.”

What to know about Trump’s arraignment

• Former President Donald Trump was arrested and surrendered to authorities at the courthouse in Manhattan around 1:30 p.m. ET and left about two hours later, after his arraignment.
• Trump pleaded not guilty today to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to his alleged role in hush money payments toward the end of his 2016 presidential campaign — the first time a former president has had to plead to criminal charges.
• Trump was arraigned before Judge Juan Merchan this afternoon on the charges, which resulted from an investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
• Anti-Trump and pro-Trump protesters, as well as the media, flooded the area outside the courthouse. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and George Santos, R-N.Y., made brief stops to join Trump supporters protesting his indictment but left amid the chaos.
• Trump plans to give a speech tonight at Mar-a-Lago after he returns to Florida.

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