Trump was indicted last Thursday by a so-called grand jury for having paid porn actress Stormy Daniels hush money of $ 130,000 (around 120,000 euros) before the 2016 presidential election. The 76-year-old Republican is the first former US president to have ever been impeached and face criminal charges.
Trump is scheduled to face the Manhattan Attorney’s Office on Tuesday and be processed for identification, which includes fingerprints and mugshots. In the so-called arraignment, the indictment, which has so far been kept secret, is to be read out to him in court. Trump will plead not guilty, according to his attorney.
The court date was scheduled for 2:15 p.m. (local time; 8:15 p.m. CEST). Trump then wants to travel back to his private residence Mar-a-Lago in the state of Florida and make a statement there in the evening.
Trump’s trip from Florida to New York was accompanied by huge media interest on Monday. The ex-president was first driven from Mar-a-Lago in West Palm Beach to nearby Palm Beach International Airport. He then flew aboard his private plane to New York’s LaGuardia Airport, from where he was driven to his Trump Tower skyscraper in Manhattan, where he has an apartment. News channels broadcast live images of the various stages of the journey.
The security authorities have taken numerous precautions for the indictment on Tuesday. New York Mayor Eric Adams announced decisive action against possible violent protests. “As always, we will not allow violence or vandalism of any kind,” said Adams at City Hall in the US megacity. “If someone takes part in an act of violence, they will be arrested, no matter who it is.”
At the same time, Adams said that “agitators” could travel to New York. “Our message is clear and simple: control yourself.” The Democratic Party politician named right-wing Republican MP Marjorie Taylor Greene, who plans to take part in protests in New York on Tuesday. The MP is known for spreading “misinformation and hate speech,” Adams said. At the same time, the mayor emphasized that there are currently “no specific, credible threats to our city”.
Trump had called on his supporters to protest in mid-March in view of an alleged impending arrest. The right-wing populist later said that charges against him could lead to “death and destruction” – for critics an open call for violence that brought back memories of the Capitol storming on January 6, 2021.
When asked by a reporter whether he feared unrest during a visit to the state of Minnesota on Monday, President Joe Biden said: “No, I have faith in the New York police force.” When asked if he had faith in the legal system, the President replied “yes”.
The Stormy Daniels case is about a hush money payment to the porn actress, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, who claims to have had an affair with Trump in 2006. Payment before the 2016 presidential election in itself is not illegal. But the ex-president could be held responsible for falsifying business documents – possibly in connection with illegal campaign financing.
Trump, who wants to run again in the 2024 presidential election, has denied all allegations. He speaks of a politically motivated “witch hunt”.
