In news that might make someone from 2016’s head explode, the first president to be impeached twice will make history on Tuesday by becoming the first to be arraigned on criminal charges.
Following his indictment by a grand jury on Thursday, Donald Trump is set to voluntarily surrender to authorities at the Manhattan Criminal Court at around 2:15 p.m. Eastern time, when he will be formally booked, fingerprinted, and possibly have his mugshot taken.
Then, as he is accompanied by the Secret Service agents who protect him, Trump will be arraigned in a courtroom on the 15th floor in front of Justice Juan Merchan, and the public will learn for the first time what charges he is facing.
The surreal moment is expected to generate an unprecedented political and media circus. Never before in history has a president — former or current — been criminally prosecuted, let alone one who is currently making another bid for the White House.
Even Trump himself seems somewhat astonished by the developments. “On Tuesday morning I will be going to, believe it or not, the Courthouse,” he wrote on his Truth Social website on Sunday. “America was not supposed to be this way!”
The case against Trump centers around a hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election in order to prevent her going public with claims that she had had sex with him in 2006. Trump, who has denied the affair, initially denied knowing anything about the payment but later admitted that he reimbursed his former attorney Michael Cohen. Cohen later pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges and served time in prison in part for facilitating the payment.
As Trump traveled to New York from Florida on Monday, news networks broadcast live images of his motorcade driving to Palm Beach International Airport as crowds of supporters lined streets and waved flags. Similar scenes are expected on Tuesday.
Only a handful of photographers will be briefly allowed to take photos before proceedings begin in the courtroom Tuesday, but the arraignment itself will not be televised. Merchan on Monday night denied a request from multiple media outlets to broadcast the arraignment live, but acknowledged the “unparalleled public interest and media attention” in the case. Trump’s attorneys had argued that allowing video or photography of the proceedings would create a “circus-like atmosphere” and heighten the already “extraordinary security concerns.”
In preparing for what he described as a “major historical event,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams told reporters on Monday that authorities had not identified any specific threats from far-right agitators, but that police had prepared for the worst.
There will be rolling road closures as Trump travels down from Trump Tower to the Manhattan Criminal Court in his Secret Service motorcade. Streets around the court will also be blocked off as the former president is formally arraigned. Both protests and celebrations are expected near the courthouse, which has been ringed by metal fences for weeks.
“While there may be some rabble rousers thinking about coming to our city tomorrow, our message is clear and simple: Control yourselves,” the mayor said. “New York City is our home, not a playground for your misplaced anger.”
Adams also had a specific warning for Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Trump acolyte who vowed to come to New York to protest. “While you’re in town, be on your best behavior,” he said.
The grand jury indictment against Trump has been under seal, but reports suggest he may be facing about 30 counts of business fraud charges, including at least one felony. Falsifying business records can be a felony in New York if it is done to conceal evidence of another crime — in this instance, a possible violation of federal election campaign finance laws.
Trump has decried the case against him as being a “witch hunt,” and his fellow Republicans have lined up to accuse Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of pursuing a political prosecution.
But Trump is also attempting to use the charges to his benefit. He has fundraised millions of dollars from supporters since the indictment, and he has seen himself rise in polling against other 2024 rivals as he casts himself as a political victim. There has even been speculation that he might turn a mugshot into a merchandising opportunity.
He is also expected to give a speech on Tuesday night upon his return to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
In January, Merchan, who is the acting justice for the State Supreme Court, presided over a trial in which the Trump Organization was convicted and fined over a tax fraud scheme. Trump has since complained that the judge “hates” him and treated his company “viciously.”
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
