In his closing remarks, former President Donald Trump said there is a "very dark cloud over our beloved country."

He addressed the crowd for about 25 minutes.

Former President Donald Trump has started his address at his Mar-a-Lago estate, hours after he was arraigned on criminal charges.

"God bless you all. I never thought anything like this could happen in America," were Trump's first words.

Trump claimed the "fake case" was brought "only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election" and said it should be "dropped immediately."

Some members of Donald Trump's family just entered the Mar-a-Lago ballroom for the former president's remarks.

Trump's son Donald Trump Jr., with Kimberly Guilfoyle, and his daughter Tiffany Trump entered the room to loud applause from the crowd.

-ABC News' Will Steakin

Former President Donald Trump was still revising his speech less than an hour before his scheduled remarks at 8:15 p.m. ET, sources said.

Sources said he spent the entire flight to Florida working on his speech. While his remarks are expected to be in a teleprompter, aides are preparing for him to go off script.

Sources described Trump's mood as "determined, resolute and up for the challenge," though that he was also "angry" leaving court this afternoon.

-ABC News' Katherine Faulders, John Santucci and Rachel Scott

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