WASHINGTON, August 4. /TASS/. Former US President Donald Trump on Thursday described the charges against him, filed in connection with the January 2021 unrest on the Capitol Hill, as political persecution.

"When you look at what’s happening, this is a persecution of a political opponent. This was never supposed to happen in America. This is the persecution of the person that’s leading by very, very substantial numbers in the Republican primary, and leading [incumbent US President Joe] Biden by a lot," he told reporters before boarding his plane at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

"So, you can’t beat it, you persecute them or you prosecute them. We can’t let this happen in America!" the ex-president added.

Trump briefly visited Washington on Thursday to be arraigned at the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

The former president also said that "this is a very sad day for America."

"It was also very sad driving through Washington D.C. and seeing the filth and the decay, and all of the broken buildings and walls and the graffiti. This is not the place that I left. It’s a very sad thing to see it," he added.

US Special Counsel Jack Smith announced on Tuesday that Trump had been charged with four felony counts. The charges de-facto imply that the former president was trying to unlawfully stay in power despite losing the November 2020 presidential election. The most serious of charges in Trump’s indictment entails the maximum punishment of 20 years in prison.

The ex-president pleaded guilty to all the four counts in his indictment, which are "Conspiracy to Defraud the United States," "Conspiracy to Obstruct an Official Proceeding," "Obstruction of and Attempt to Obstruct an Official Proceeding" and "Conspiracy Against Rights." The authorities will not seek pretrial custody for Trump.