Former President Donald Trump will go on trial for alleged mishandling of classified documents in spring next year, a court has ruled.

Judge Aileen Cannon set the case for 20 May. Mr Trump had wanted the trial held after the November 2024 election. Prosecutors wanted it this year.

The high-profile case will begin with the election campaign in full swing.

Mr Trump, 77, faces serious charges over the storage of sensitive files at his Florida home.

Prosecutors say he illegally kept secret documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate after he left office and obstructed government efforts to retrieve them.

The former president has maintained his innocence, lambasting the case as an attempt to destroy his election campaign.

In a statement on Friday, Mr Trump said that the trial date is a “major setback” to the justice department’s “crusade” against him.

“The extensive schedule allows President Trump and his legal team to continue fighting this empty hoax,” the former president said.

On Friday, Judge Cannon, a Trump appointee, said the two-week trial would take place in Fort Pierce, Florida.