At a historic court session in New York on Tuesday that was held behind high security and a media frenzy around the world, Donald Trump turned himself in. The Republican billionaire is now the first president of the United States to be charged with a crime.
The hearing, which is being broadcast live on television and includes rival protesters rallying outside, is a turning point for the US political and criminal justice systems and has the potential to completely change the 2024 presidential election, in which Trump is currently the presumptive Republican candidate. In response to several claims concerning hush money handed to an adult film star before the 2016 election that brought him into office, the 76-year-old is likely to submit a not guilty plea.
The country has entered uncharted political terrain as the twice-impeached Republican is the first president, living or dead, to be charged with a crime. Cameras won’t be allowed during the hearing itself, but US networks broadcast live coverage of the brief trip to court as police stood guard and helicopters soared overhead.
Trump waved to his supporters as he entered the building after exiting his car under US Secret Service protection. He wasn’t led on a “perp walk,” in which an accused person is restrained and led past TV cameras. The former president was due to undergo the standard booking procedures at the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, including being fingerprinted and potentially being photographed, which would result in an iconic mug shot.
According to Trump, he is a target of “political persecution.” However, he is simultaneously mobilising his base of supporters and raising millions of dollars for his campaign to recapture the White House the next year through the court dispute. He plans to address the media as he walks through the courtroom’s hallways, one of his attorneys told CNN. Hundreds of people gathered outside the venue, among them scores of Trump supporters and detractors, members of the media, and curious onlookers.
Police intervened in the altercation as supporters of Trump screamed insults at counterprotesters, many of whom were sporting “MAGA” hats and other items of clothing bearing the American flag. While Trump supporters flew a flag that read “Trump or Death,” Trump opponents raised a massive banner that read “Trump lies all the time” and yelled, “Lock him up!”
About 30 counts, including at least one felony, will likely be revealed during the arraignment, which could last up to 15 minutes. Following that, Trump has a direct flight home to Florida, where he will deliver a speech that evening. The investigation into the $130,000 paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels only days before Trump won the election is the focus of the charges.
Numerous independent criminal investigations on Trump are proceeding at the state and federal levels up to election day. There could be more serious charges brought as a result of these investigations. They consist of his efforts to get his Georgian election loss from 2020 annulled, his management of private information, and his suspected involvement in the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. President Joe Biden is one of the only Democrats who is delaying the indictment of his rival because he is conscious that anything he says could buttress Trump’s claim that the legal system has been “weaponized” politically.
