(CNN) — Former President Donald Trump made a surprise visit to the famed Versailles Cuban restaurant in Miami after appearing in a historic federal courtroom where he pleaded not guilty to 37 criminal charges he faces in the classified documents case.
During an unscheduled stop before heading to the Miami airport, Trump shook hands with supporters waiting for him at the venue located in Little Havana. Dozens of the former president’s supporters surrounded him and appeared to pray with him.
“I think it’s going very well. I think it’s a fraudulent affair. We have a fraudulent country. We have a corrupt country. We have a corrupt country. We have a borderless country. We have a country. We have a country. There’s nothing but problems. A nation goes down and then they do these things, and you see where the people are. We love the people, and you see where they are right now,” Trump said on camera during his court appearance.
At one point, Trump could be heard saying, “Food for everybody.” He also expressed “what a group of people” as his supporters sang happy birthday to him. Trump’s birthday is Wednesday, June 14th. “What a birthday, huh? We have an out-of-control government,” Trump said.
Walt Nauta, a Trump aide indicted in the classified documents case, was with him at the restaurant.
Why did Trump go to Versailles?
The former president’s team decided to stop the Versailles restaurant because it is an “important place” for Miami’s Cuban community, a source familiar with the decision told CNN.
“This is a community that knows political persecution very well,” the source explained.
Trump and his team have worked to portray many of their legal battles as “political witch hunts” and “election interference” by Democrats.
The visit paralleled Trump’s campaigning at restaurants and pizza places in Iowa and New Hampshire, as he tries to connect with voters in smaller venues outside of his rallies.
According to the group traveling with the former president, some shepherds greeted him by praying with him and then ordering some cakes.
CNN’s Kate Sullivan, Rashard Rose and Shawn Nottingham contributed to this report.
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