Trump faces a court date in the first indictment of a US president
donald trumpthe former president and favorite to be the Republican nominee for office again in 2024, will appear in court on Tuesday, where he will be indicted, fingerprinted and mugged in a momentous moment ahead of the election. presidential next year.
Trump was indicted last week, becoming the first president, retired or serving, to face criminal charges, in a case involving a 2016 hush money payment to the porn star. stormy daniels. Trump has said that he is innocent and that he will plead not guilty.
Trump will surrender on Tuesday amid tight security as demonstrations were expected for and against a man who has riled progressives and some global allies but is lauded by many white working-class and Christian voters. conservatives.
“We need to take back our Country and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social profile shortly after arriving in New York from Florida on Monday, urging supporters to donate to his campaign.
The arraignment, in which Trump will appear in court to hear the charges and have a chance to plead guilty, is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. (1815 GMT) on Tuesday.
Trump’s lawyers objected to the video, photo and radio coverage, saying it would “exacerbate an already almost circus-like atmosphere around this case,” detracting from dignity and decorum.
Judge John Merchan ruled late Monday that five photographers will be admitted before the arraignment begins to take pictures for several minutes, and cameras will be allowed in the hallways of the building.
The District Attorney, the Democrat Alvin Braggwho led the investigation, will give a press conference in the afternoon.
Trump will return to Florida and deliver a speech from Mar-a-Lago at 8:15 p.m. Tuesday (0015 GMT Wednesday), his office said.
The specific charges of the indictment by a convened grand jury will be unsealed Tuesday. Trump and his allies have called the charges political persecution.
Yahoo News said late Monday that Trump will face 34 counts of falsifying business records. Based on information from a single source briefed on Tuesday’s arraignment proceedings, Yahoo said none of the charges against Trump were misdemeanors.
protests and popularity
Over the weekend, police began erecting barricades near Trump Tower — where Trump arrived Monday after flying in from Florida — and the Manhattan Criminal Court building, with demonstrations expected at both locations Tuesday.
The city mayor issued a warning to potential agitators.
“Our message is clear and simple: control yourselves. New York City is our home, not a playground for you to express your unbridled anger,” he said. Eric Adams.
Asked if he was worried about the unrest, the president Joe Bidena Democrat who is expected to run for re-election, which could mean another duel with Trump, said: “No, I have faith in the New York Police Department.”
The case has divided the population of New York, where Trump’s name appears on buildings related to his businesses.
“It’s a great day. I hope it goes well and that in the end he’s found guilty,” he said on Monday. robert hoatsona 71-year-old resident of New Jersey, at the gates of Trump Tower.
On the contrary, Susan MillerA Trump supporter, leaning against the metal barriers on Fifth Avenue, just south of Trump Tower, said Monday afternoon that she hoped the shows of support “give her a little bit of strength when she goes … to the battle”.
“He’s honest as hell,” he said, adding that he planned to return Tuesday.
Trump’s lead has widened over his rivals in the race for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday, conducted after news broke that he would face criminal charges.
About 48% of self-described Republicans say they want Trump to be their party’s presidential nominee, compared with 44% in a poll conducted March 14-20. Florida Gov. Ron Desantis, in second place, fell from 30% to around 19%.
Multiple legal issues
The Manhattan grand jury that indicted Trump heard evidence for months this year about a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the final days of the 2016 presidential campaign.
Daniels has said she was paid to keep quiet about a sexual encounter she had with Trump at a Lake Tahoe hotel in 2006. Trump denies having any such relationship with her.
An indictment or even a conviction does not legally bar Trump from running for president.
To bolster his legal team, Trump hired todd blanchea prominent criminal defense attorney and former federal prosecutor, to join his defense, two sources familiar with the matter said.
The Manhattan investigation is just one of several legal proceedings affecting Trump.
Trump also faces another criminal investigation into whether he illegally tried to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia, and two investigations by special counsel, including one into his handling of classified documents after leaving office.
Any trial in the Manhattan case is still at least more than a year away, according to legal experts, meaning it could happen during or after the presidential campaign.
Trump’s campaign raised $7 million in the three days after news of the impeachment broke last Thursday, the senior adviser said. Jason Millerand launched a new fundraising email, attacking the media’s reporting of the indictment.
Ramifications for 2024
The effect the case has on the Republicans’ decision on their nominee for the November 2024 presidential election, and the choice all Americans make then, could have profound implications in the world’s most powerful country and beyond its borders. borders.
The top potential contenders for the nomination, including Desantis and his former vice president Mike Pencehave publicly rallied around Trump in recent days.
While he was president from 2017 to 2021, Trump frequently clashed with allies on trade and defense, and his return to the Oval Office could weaken US support for Ukraine.
Regarding the Manhattan case, Trump initially denied, in 2018, knowing anything about the payment to Daniels.
It later acknowledged reimbursing Cohen for the payment, which it called a “simple private transaction.”
In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations for his role in orchestrating the payments to Daniels and McDougal and was sentenced to three years in prison. He testified that Trump ordered him to make the payments.
Cohen testified before the Manhattan grand jury investigating Trump on March 13.
Following Trump’s indictment, he told Reuters: “I decided that I was not going to let history remember me as the villain of his (Trump’s) plot.”
Source: Elmostrador
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