About noon on Monday, Mr. Trump departed his Florida estate Mar-a-Lago in a motorcade along streets packed with fans before boarding his aircraft, which was tuned to Fox News and broadcasting the departure live. He traveled to Trump Tower in Manhattan after landing at LaGuardia Airport to speak with his attorneys and other advisors.
Mr. Trump posted on social media Sunday night that "on Tuesday am I will be traveling to, believe it or not, the Courthouse," and he continued to post updates on Monday. "This is not how America was supposed to be! ”
Helicopters flew overhead, and there were a lot of people watching when Mr. Trump arrived in the late afternoon, pausing for a moment to wave. Reporters and people on the street trying to catch a view of the former president outnumbered his supporters, who carried banners reading "Arrest Biden," "Trump Won," and a big "Finish the Wall" flag.
In anticipation of Mr. Trump's presence, New York City officials announced that there would be traffic closures and that more police would be stationed in Manhattan. At a press conference, Mayor Eric Adams and Commissioner of the New York Police Department Keechant Sewell declared that there were no genuine threats against the city. They advised people to use public transportation and cautioned protesters that any violence would result in arrest.
The Democrat Mr. Adams spoke especially to Americans. Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is organizing a gathering close to the lower Manhattan courthouse where Mr. Trump is scheduled to speak. Be on your best behavior while you're in town, he said.
For his involvement in a hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election, Mr. Trump was indicted on Thursday. To prevent Ms. Daniels from disclosing her claims that she had a sexual encounter with Mr. Trump, which the former president denies, Mr. Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen paid her $130,000. Thereafter, Mr. Cohen received compensation from Trump payments that were actually legal costs.
The former president is scheduled to present himself up at the district attorney's office on Tuesday evening. Before showing up in court in the afternoon to be arraigned on the accusations, which are still under seal, he will be fingerprinted and booked. The indictment will be unsealed by the presiding judge during the hearing, allowing for the first thorough examination of Mr. Trump's claims.
When the indictment was announced last week, Mr. Trump and his attorneys were taken aback because they had previously expressed hope that the matter might be losing momentum. Some of Mr. Trump's advisors had informed him that an indictment might not come for several weeks, if ever.
The possibility of an indictment has privately unnerved the president, but he also sees a chance to galvanize Republicans behind him and gain attention by portraying himself as the victim. On Tuesday night, hours after his arraignment, he has booked a high-profile speech at Mar-a-Lago. Advisors anticipate him to possibly make more comments while in New York.
Trump aide Jason Miller tweeted on Monday that the campaign has raised $7 million since the news of the indictment surfaced. The campaign has been bombarded with fundraising emails in recent days. Records from federal elections are not yet available.
The incident may have strengthened Mr. Trump's position among GOP supporters—and a number of recent surveys indicate a growing gap between him and the competition in the 2024 primary—but it may also have served to remind swing voters of the ongoing turmoil that surrounds him. Investigations into the Capitol riot of January 6, 2021, efforts to rig the Georgia election in his favor, and the handling of sensitive information at his Florida property are all ongoing. He contests his guilt.
