In an unprecedented trial for an American president, Donald Trump defended his innocence of all criminal charges related to paying money to buy the silence of porn actress "Stormy Daniels" before the 2016 presidential election, in a historic session held in a New York court.

Trump, 76 years old, faces dozens of charges in this case, which could turn the 2024 presidential race upside down.

The indictment session at the Manhattan courthouse lasted about two hours.

The New York Attorney General also announced that the Manhattan Criminal Court charged former President Donald Trump with 34 counts because he "arranged" a series of payments to buy the silence of people in three embarrassing cases for him before the 2016 presidential election.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement that a doorman at Trump Tower claimed to have information about the billionaire's secret son who received $30,000 to remain silent, while a woman received $150,000 to keep quiet about a secret romantic relationship she affirms she had with the former president, and a former porn actress received $130,000 not to say anything about an alleged sexual relationship between her and the former real estate mogul.

Trump left the Manhattan criminal court building in New York after the session ended, without any conditions or judicial monitoring imposed on him.

Trump had also described his summons to the criminal court as a "surreal" event, writing on social media, "I am going to court. It seems very surreal, oh my God, I will be arrested. I can't believe this is happening in America."

Meanwhile, the White House announced that former President Donald Trump's appearance before a Manhattan criminal court, in a historic event receiving extensive media coverage, is "not a priority" for President Joe Biden.

The White House spokeswoman, Karine Jean-Pierre, also said the president "will of course follow some developments when he has time to catch up on the news of the day, but it is not a priority for him."