Follow along for live updates on former President Donald Trump, who is expected to surrender to a Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday to face arraignment on charges stemming from hush-money payments made during the 2016 campaign to bury allegations of extramarital sexual encounters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dHUoW30Sks
Trump arrives at Manhattan Courthouse
Former President Donald Trump has arrived in Manhattan, where he is expected to enter a not-guilty plea to criminal charges. He walked into the courtroom surrounded by Secret Service agents.
Trump’s motorcade was followed by numerous helicopters as it left Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan.
Trump leaves New York home
Former President Donald Trump pumped his fist and waved as he exited Trump Tower shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday, en route to the Manhattan courthouse, which is nearly 4 miles (6 kilometers) away.
Trump’s lawyers have made arrangements for his surrender. He will be booked at the courthouse rather than a police station, as most defendants in New York are.
Before taking his fingerprints, court officials will make a record of his name, age, birthdate, height, and weight. They might photograph him.
Florida lawmaker pledges to keep supporting Trump
Former Florida state legislator said he and others drove from Orlando to New York in time for Tuesday’s hearing to send a message to former President Donald Trump: We will not abandon you.
Anthony Sabatini, chair of Florida’s Lake County Republican Party, gathered with other Trump supporters in a park near the Manhattan courthouse where Trump was to be arraigned.
“It’s a bad day for America,” he said, “one of the worst days in American history.”
Sabatini, on the other hand, said that the mood among Trump supporters was upbeat. He credited New York police officers with keeping people apart based on their motivation – whether they supported Trump or his indictment.
Greene speaks briefly amid shouts
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene rallied Trump supporters outside the Manhattan courthouse Tuesday morning, just before the former president’s arraignment.
A large crowd surrounded the Georgia Republican, who was once shunned by the Republican Party as a political pariah for her extremist rhetoric, as she walked through a park where hundreds of onlookers and journalists had gathered before the hearing.
Greene bolted as soon as she saw the commotion where she was supposed to speak. It was unknown if she would return.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams told Greene on Monday that she should “be on your best behavior.”
George Santos joins Trump supporters outside the courthouse
The besieged Republican congressman facing multiple investigations into lies he told while running for office, George Santos, joined the growing crowd gathered outside the Manhattan courthouse ahead of former President Donald Trump’s arraignment.
Santos told The Associated Press that he did not intend to enter the courthouse but instead came to “support the president.”
“I want to support the president simply because I believe this is unprecedented and a bad day for democracy,” Santos said. “What’s to stop the next prosecutor from doing the same thing to Joe Biden in two years and moving on every four years? As a result, this sets a bad legal precedent. And it cheapens the judicial system, which is bad for America.”
Santos has rejected resignation calls, including some from members of his party. He declined to say whether he hopes Trump will continue to back him in exchange for the show of support on Tuesday.
“I’m not here for that,” he stated flatly.
Rally for Trump
People began congregating Tuesday morning in a park outside the courthouse where the former president is scheduled to be arraigned.
The rally with Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was set to begin several hours before Trump’s appearance in court.
Some anti-Trump protesters also showed up, waving a large banner that read, “Trump Lies All the Time.”
Trump supporters are also expected to congregate at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Tuesday night as he returns.
Prosecutor arrives
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg arrived in court Tuesday morning in New York ahead of the arraignment of former President Donald Trump.
Following his election the previous November, Bragg became Manhattan’s first Black district attorney in 2022. He took over a grand jury investigation into hush money paid on Trump’s behalf during his presidential campaign in 2016.
After taking office, Bragg slowed his office’s progress toward an indictment of Trump, citing concerns about the case’s strength. This prompted two prosecutors who were leading the investigation to resign and stage a public protest.
However, after convicting Trump’s family company for tax evasion, Bragg convened a new grand jury this year. He described the outcome as a “strong demarcation line” for moving forward with other parts of the investigation.
Trump attorney: ‘No guilty plea’
Trump’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, said the former president’s appearance in court for the arraignment on Tuesday would be brief because the process “doesn’t take long.”
On ABC’s “Good Morning America,” he said, “It won’t be a long day in court.”
“We know the basis of the indictment and the factual allegations in the indictment,” Tacopina said, adding that Trump would defend himself.
“As I sit here today, I can assure you that there will be no guilty plea in this case. That’s one thing I can promise you “He stated.
Tacopina appeared to predict that the case would be dismissed in the end.
“I don’t think this case will go to a jury,” he said. “I believe a legal challenge will be filed and should be successful.”
Spectators line up
Spectators, many of whom were members of the news media, waited all night for a seat inside the courtroom or even a glimpse of Trump, who wasn’t expected to appear until Tuesday afternoon.
Barricades surrounded the building, and people were subjected to multiple layers of security checks. The reporters who were waiting in line had set up camp under tents with lawn chairs, blankets, and pizza boxes.
The Secret Service was expected to accompany the nation’s 45th commander-in-chief from Trump Tower, which was also surrounded by barricades, to a lower Manhattan courthouse.
Police were bracing for protests from Trump supporters, a Republican who is running for President again in 2024. He referred to the grand jury’s decision to indict him as “political persecution and election interference at the highest level.”
Prosecutors looked into payments made to porn actor Stormy Daniels and ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal to keep the women from going public with claims that they had sex with him.
