South Ayrshire golf club owner and former President of the United States Donald Trump this week pleaded not guilty in a Manhattan court to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

Mr Trump is also accused of committing more serious offences - felonies that may result in more than a year in jail upon conviction.

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Mr Trump is the first US president in history to face a criminal trial.

A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for, or winning, the presidency in 2024.

The American businessman is the owner of South Ayrshire's Trump Turnberry resort.

After the court hearing, he wrote on social media platform Truth Social: "The hearing was shocking to many in that they had no 'surprises', and therefore, no case.

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"Virtually every legal pundit has said that there is no case here. There was nothing done illegally!"

Todd Blanche, a lawyer for Trump, commented: "We're going to fight it hard."