(NEXSTAR) — Former President Donald Trump returned to New York from his Florida estate Monday to face historic booking and arraignment on hush money charges related to allegations of sexual encounters. The nation’s largest city bolstered security and warned potential protesters it was “not a playground for your misplaced anger.”
Trump’s long day started with a motorcade ride from his Mar-a-Lago club to his red, white and blue Boeing 757, emblazoned with his name in gold letters — all carried live on television. The mini-parade took him past supporters waving banners and cheering, decrying the case against him that stems from payments made during his 2016 campaign as politically motivated.
Already months into a third campaign to reclaim the White House he lost to President Joe Biden in 2020, Trump and his advisers seemed to relish the attention. Cable networks followed his plane at airports in Florida and New York with video from the air, and a small group of senior campaign aides were joined aboard by his son, Eric Trump, who eagerly posted photos of the wall-to-wall coverage from his seat.
The scene was quite different in New York, where Trump will be arraigned on Tuesday — facing a judge in the city where he built a national profile in business and entertainment but became deeply unpopular as he moved into politics. Prosecutors say their case against him has nothing to do with politics and have defended the work of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg who is leading it. City leaders urged calm.
According to The Hill, the former president is expected to turn himself in Tuesday morning before the arraignment, which a court spokesperson said is slated to happen at 2:15 p.m. ET.
He will be escorted by Secret Service agents and police on his way to the Manhattan Criminal Courts Building, where the arraignment will take place.
Trump is expected to have his mugshot taken, but it’s unlikely that authorities would release the image in accordance with state law. Unless officials have a legitimate, law enforcement-related reason for doing so, mugshots can’t be distributed. The Albany Times Union points out that Trump could release the photo on his own.
As of Monday evening, it was still unclear whether or not the former president would be handcuffed and would have to face a perp walk, with his attorney, Joe Tacopina, only saying on Sunday that he hopes it will be “painless and classy.”
Because Trump isn’t expected to face any violent felonies, he will most likely be released without bail after the arraignment is over. The full details of the indictment are still sealed, pending the arraignment.
The former president was indicted last week by a grand jury in connection to a six-figure payment made in 2016 to allegedly hide an extramarital affair. Trump is facing multiple charges of falsifying business records, including at least one felony offense, in the indictment handed down by a Manhattan grand jury last week.
Trump called the charges “political persecution” and has denied any wrongdoing as well as the extramarital affair.
Meanwhile, security in New York City has been an ongoing concern among officials. The secret service has been coordinating with the NYPD and local authorities. Bomb-sniffing dogs have been patrolling the courthouses and offices in Lower Manhattan. Police perimeters have been set up and the 15th floor of the courthouse where the case will be heard has been closed to the public.
Following his court appearance, Trump planned to return to Mar-a-Lago for a press conference Tuesday evening. At least 500 people have been invited, according to a Republican familiar with the planning and granted anonymity to discuss it. Invitees include members of Congress who have endorsed Trump’s presidential campaign as well as donors and other supporters backing him.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
