Trump Lands in New York Ahead of Surrender, Court Appearance Later Tuesday

Former President Donald Trump arrived in New York on Monday ahead of his surrender to authorities on Tuesday. After he is booked, Trump will appear in court for his arraignment hearing and the formal unveiling of the criminal charges he is facing.

Summary

Former President Donald Trump arrived in New York on Monday ahead of his surrender to authorities on Tuesday. Trump will be booked at the Manhattan Criminal Court before appearing at his arraignment hearing on Tuesday afternoon.

• The booking will include a fingerprinting and a mugshot, although Trump’s attorneys are opposed to the mugshot’s release. After he is booked, Trump will appear in court for his arraignment hearing and the formal unveiling of the criminal charges brought against him by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
• Trump’s motorcade ride from Mar-a-Lago to “Trump Force One,” the billionaire businessman’s red, white, and blue 757 with “TRUMP” painted in gold letters, was broadcast live on cable networks. Trump arrived in New York without fanfare, a far cry from the scenes of supporters lining the route cheering on the former President as he departed Florida.
• The indictment remains under seal until Trump’s arraignment later today, but the former President is expected to be charged with more than 30 felonies connected to “hush money” payments paid to former porn star Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged affair.
• While all eyes will be on the lower Manhattan courtroom, coverage from inside the courtroom will be limited. New York does not permit cameras in the courtroom and the media will not be able to film the hearing or broadcast it live.
• Trump’s trial will be overseen by Judge Juan Merchan. Merchan was selected as part of a judge rotation, and he has a history of handling financial and Trump-related cases.
• Merchan oversaw the negotiations leading to ex-Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg’s guilty plea for tax avoidance and the Trump Organization’s trial and conviction on similar charges.
• Trump plans to address the nation on Tuesday night upon his return to Florida in an event at his Mar-a-Lago home. The Trump campaign has invited supporters and political allies to join him in Florida as he tries to project strength in the hours after the first criminal arraignment of a former President.

• The New York Times reported that as Trump made his final pre-arrest preparations on how to “maximize his surrender for political benefit,” New York officials were bracing for protests and a “circuslike atmosphere” surrounding Trump’s arraignment on Tuesday afternoon.
• According to the Washington Post, Secret Service agents have already scouted out the courthouse and have mapped out multiple routes ahead of Trump’s Tuesday morning journey from Trump Tower to the Manhattan Criminal Court.
• A new CNN poll found 60% of Americans approve of Trump’s indictment. The same poll found 52% of Americans think politics played “a major role” in the indictment and approximately 76% thought it played at least some role. Only 10% think Trump did nothing wrong regarding his payments to Daniels, but Americans were fairly evenly divided on whether Trump acted “illegally” or “unethically but not illegally,” 37%-33% with 20% unsure.

• The Wall Street Journal reported from Trump Tower, where helicopters flew overhead as spectators packed the streets to try and catch a glimpse of Trump when he arrived on Monday. Trump supporters, bearing signs like “Arrest Biden” or “Trump Won,” were outnumbered by members of the media and passersby.
• Per the New York Post, Judge Merchan ruled on Monday evening to allow five pool cameras into the courtroom to shoot still photographs prior to the arraignment. Requests from the media asking to allow video recording inside the courtroom were denied.
• National Review’s Noah Rothman assessed “Trump’s indictment strategy” to make his arrest the “focal point of his campaign.” While its often a good strategy to stay quiet when under indictment, Trump reportedly “has no intention of behaving like someone who is facing a criminal indictment. Trump relayed his intention to continue his attacks on Bragg and his allies, and he believes it’s in his interests to “rough ‘em up” — politically, of course.”

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© Dominic Moore, 2023