Donald Trump has described his appearance in a Washington court as a "very sad day for America".
The former President could end up behind bars if found guilty of charges that he tried to overturn the results of his election loss in 2020.
He's hoping to be re-elected next year - despite facing charges in two other cases.
David Smith, Washington reporter with The Guardian, said if Mr. Trump was elected president he would attempt to pardon himself if convicted.
'If he was President again, he would try to pardon himself or try to dismantle the justice department and take care of those federal cases against him but it would be tougher for him to wriggle out of the state cases. This is really unprecedented territory for America.'
