Trump indictment updates: Trump speaks out on charges from Mar-a-Lago

Prosecutors asked for a trial date in January 2024.

Donald Trump’s legal team called that timeline “too aggressive” and suggested spring 2024 as an alternative.

Judge Juan Merchan did not weigh in.

Trump's next in-person court appearance is set for Dec. 4. The defense counsel asked the judge to waive Trump’s appearance.

The judge acknowledged that Tuesday's hearing was a “huge undertaking,” but said he would not immediately excuse Trump’s appearance, and said he would deny for the time being the defense counsel’s request “in the interest of transparency.”

-ABC News' Olivia Rubin and Laura Romero

The indictment against former President Donald Trump has been unsealed.

Prosecutors allege Trump "employed a 'catch and kill' scheme to identify, purchase, and bury negative information about him and boost his electoral prospects," and "went to great lengths to hide this conduct, causing dozens of false entries in business records to conceal criminal activity, including attempts to violate state and federal election laws."

Prosecutors allege, "In one instance, American Media Inc. ('AMI'), paid $30,000 to a former Trump Tower doorman, who claimed to have a story about a child TRUMP had out of wedlock," though the story wasn't true.

"The People of the State of New York allege that Donald J. Trump repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal crimes that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. "The trail of money and lies exposes a pattern that, the People allege, violates one of New York’s basic and fundamental business laws."

Former President Donald Trump left the courtroom at 3:25 p.m., nearly one hour after entering the room at 2:28 p.m.

Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, according to a source in the courtroom. Trump entered the not guilty plea himself, sources said.

Trump waited in the courtroom for at least five minutes before Judge Juan Merchan arrived, and rose when the judge said, “all rise.”

“Let’s arraign Mr. Trump, please," Merchan said.

Trump spoke quietly when he addressed the judge, including when he entered his not guilty plea.

Todd Blanche, Trump’s new defense attorney, at one point said, “I didn’t realize we were going to be giving opening statements.”

Blanche said Trump was “frustrated” and “upset” and had a right to express his views publicly.

The judge said he was not going to enact a gag order.

-ABC News' Katherine Faulders, Olivia Rubin, Laura Romero and John Santucci