Trump will leave his private home Mar-a-Lago in Florida on Monday at 12 noon (local time), he announced this on Monday night via the online network Truth Social, which he co-founded. “On Tuesday morning, believe it or not, I’m going to the courthouse. This isn’t America as it should be!” According to media reports, the indictment hearing in Manhattan, to which Trump must appear, is scheduled for Tuesday. The case is about hush money payments to a porn actress. New York is preparing for a large crowd and demonstrations. The first protests have already been announced. Trump is using the indictment to once again present himself as a victim of a politically controlled judiciary and to mobilize his supporters, on whose votes he will depend when running for the 2024 presidential election.
Ahead of Donald Trump’s expected surrender on Tuesday, New York police erected metal barriers around Trump Tower and blocked streets near the Manhattan Courthouse. The former president is reportedly due to appear in court on Tuesday afternoon.
Trump is the first ex-president in the history of the United States to face criminal charges. The district attorney’s office in Manhattan had announced an indictment against the Republican Thursday evening.
Police said there were no credible threats against the city, Reuters reported.
“Officers have been placed on alert and the department remains ready to respond as needed and will ensure everyone is able to peacefully exercise their rights,” the New York Police Department said in a statement.”
The downtown courthouse will close some rooms ahead of Trump’s appearance, Reuters reported. Trump supporters are expected to protest ahead of his arrival in New York. Demonstrations are expected in several places and the police are taking the necessary measures to avoid a possible confrontation.
Trump also described the probe against him as a “political persecution”. “This is political persecution and election interference at the highest level in history. From the time I came down the golden escalator at Trump Tower, and even before I was sworn in as your President of the United States, the radical left Democrats — the enemy of the hard-working men and women of this country — have been engaged in a witch-hunt to destroy the ‘Make America Great Again’ movement,” he said.
A Manhattan grand jury voted to indict former US President Donald Trump for paying money to silence Stormy Daniels, a porn star with whom he was accused of having an affair. The Manhattan Attorney’s Office reportedly contacted Trump’s attorney to arrange his surrender for indictment.
(With inputs from agencies)
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