Americans gear up for Donald Trump's historic court appearance
Donald Trump is set to appear in a New York courtroom on Tuesday - an extraordinary moment that will mark the first time a former US president has faced criminal charges.
Trump, who faces multiple election-related investigations, will surrender to face criminal charges stemming from 2016 hush money payments.
This initial court appearance is likely to be relatively brief - though hardly routine - as Trump is fingerprinted, learns the exact charges against him and pleads, as expected, not guilty.
Trump, who was impeached twice by the US House but was never convicted in the US Senate, will become the first former president to face criminal charges. He will be escorted from Trump Tower to the courthouse by the Secret Service and may have his mugshot taken.
In an exclusive interview with ITV News, Trump's daughter-law said the nation’s 45th commander-in-chief was "in good spirits".
Lara Trump, married to the former president's son, Eric, said of the criminal charge: "This is nothing new to us... for us in the family we have been used to fight after fight after fight - and this one is no different.
"I have full confidence that my father-in-law will prevail."
Trump's daughter-in-law gives an insight into the ex-president's mood ahead of his hearing
New York police are braced for protests by Trump supporters, who share the former president’s belief that the New York grand jury indictment - and three additional pending investigations - are politically motivated and intended to weaken his bid to retake the White House in 2024.
Trump, a former reality-TV star, has been hyping that narrative to his political advantage, raising millions of dollars since the indictment on claims of a “witch hunt”. He has personally criticised the Manhattan district attorney, egged on supporters to protest, and claimed without evidence that the judge presiding over the case “hates me” - something Trump’s own lawyer has said is not true.
Trump is scheduled to return to his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, on Tuesday evening to hold a rally.
Inside the Manhattan courtroom, prosecutors led by New York’s district attorney, Alvin Bragg, are expected to unseal the indictment issued last week by a grand jury. This is when Trump and his defence lawyers will get their first glimpse of the precise allegations against him.
The indictment includes multiple charges of falsifying business records, including at least one felony offense, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press last week.
After the arraignment, Trump is expected to be released by authorities because the charges against him don’t require that bail be set.
The investigation is scrutinising six-figure payments made to porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both say they had sexual encounters with the married Trump years before he got into politics. Trump denies having sexual liaisons with either woman and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.
The court appearance will unfold against the backdrop of heavy security in New York, coming more than two years after Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol in a failed bid to halt the congressional certification of President Joe Biden’s win.
Though police said they had no intelligence suggesting any violence was likely, they were on high alert for any potential disruptions.
“While there may be some rabble rousers thinking of coming to our city tomorrow, our message is clear and simple: Control yourselves,” Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference on Monday.
The public fascination with the case was evident Monday as national television carried live images of Trump’s motorcade from his Mar-a-Lago club to his red, white and blue Boeing 757. From there, he was flown to New York, where he was expected to spend the night at Trump Tower before turning himself in the following day.
A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know