A plane carrying former U.S. President Donald Trump took off from a Florida airport bound for New York City on Monday as he prepared to face charges stemming from an investigation into hush money paid to a porn star before the 2016 election.
With New York taking security precautions and the mayor insisting any would-be rabble-rousers behave, Trump was due to surrender at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office on Tuesday and will likely be fingerprinted prior to appearing before a judge for an arraignment where he will plead not guilty.
Trump, a Republican seeking to regain the presidency in 2024, is the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges. Trump has hired Todd Blanche, a prominent white-collar criminal defense lawyer and a former federal prosecutor, to lead his defense, said two sources familiar with the matter.
The specific charges in the grand jury indictment have yet to be disclosed. Trump has said he is innocent, and he and his allies have portrayed the charges as politically motivated.
A motorcade of several vehicles transported Trump from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach to the airport in nearby West Palm Beach. Trump and members of his entourage climbed a set of stairs and entered his plane, painted in red, white and blue with TRUMP in big letters on the side and an image of the American flag on the tail.
Earlier Trump said on social media he would go to Trump Tower in Manhattan after arriving in New York, then would head to the courthouse on Tuesday morning.
Before his plane departed, small groups of Trump fans waited to show their support at the airport and on his route to get there.
"Our country needs him," said Cindy Falco, 65, of Boynton Beach, Florida. "He's pro-God, pro-family and pro-country."
Falco predicted exoneration, saying: "Nothing is going to stick to him."
TRUMP RAISES FUNDS ON HIS INDICTMENT
Trump's campaign issued a fundraising email taking aim at the media's reporting on his indictment.
Remarks attributed to Trump in the email stated: "Our country has fallen. But I'm not giving up on America. We can and we will save our nation in 2024."
His campaign said Trump raised more than $4 million in the 24 hours following the news of his indictment.
A court official said the arraignment was planned for 2:15 p.m. (1815 GMT) on Tuesday. Trump then will return to Florida and deliver remark from Mar-a-Lago at 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday (0015 GMT on Wednesday), his office said.
Trump is expected to appear before Justice Juan Merchan, the judge who presided over a criminal trial last year in which Trump's real estate company was convicted of tax fraud. Trump himself was not charged in that case.
A court official said the judge would decide on Monday whether to allow cameras and video in the courtroom.
Trump wrote on social media on Friday that Merchan "HATES ME" and also has assailed the prosecutor on the case, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat.
New York police over the weekend began erecting barricades along the edge of the sidewalks around Trump Tower and the Manhattan Criminal Court building downtown. Media crews set up close to Trump Tower and some spectators lined up nearby.
One passerby walked by shouting, "Lock him up," as others behind him clapped. A Trump supporter shouted back, "Lock Bragg up."
Adams, NYPD commissioner hold security briefing ahead of Trump arraignment
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell held a briefing Monday regarding security preps for former President Donald Trump's arraignment.
"As you all know and all aware, Donald Trump will be in New York City tonight through tomorrow. His presence is expected to draw a lot of attention from media, spectators and protesters alike," Deputy Mayor Philip Banks said at the press conference happening at City Hall.
"New York City, as always, will be prepared. The NYPD and our entire public safety apparatus always prepared. We are working closely with all of our partners to ensure everyone's safety tomorrow. And we are asking for the public's help as well in maintaining a safe environment that allows New Yorkers to continue their day to day lives with minimal interruption and is always neither dangerous nor criminal behavior will be tolerated."
The former president said in a TRUTH Social post Sunday night he would head to Trump Tower in Manhattan on Monday. Trump is expected to be arraigned at Manhattan Criminal Court Tuesday.
The details of Trump's indictment are still under seal but are expected to relate to alleged 2016 "hush money" payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, which the Manhattan District Attorney's Office has been investigating for five years.
Trump's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, told CNN on Sunday that he expects to file a motion to dismiss whatever charges the grand jury has indicted Trump for in this case.
Trump attorney says there's no purpose in a mugshot: "He's the most recognized face in the world"
Alina Habba, an attorney representing former President Donald Trump in several civil matters, argued Trump shouldn't need to take a mugshot, telling CNN This Morning, "There's no need for theatrics."
Habba told host Don Lemon, “Mugshots are for people so that you recognize who they are. He’s the most recognized face in the world, let alone the country, right now, so there’s no need for that."
Sources familiar with the preparations were uncertain as to whether there would be a mugshot.
Trump's attorney says she believes that the indictment will be unsealed "no matter what," and accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of leaking the number of counts in the indictment.
When pressed by host Don Lemon about the claim, Habba declared, “it’s not speculation.”
On Trump's social media posts attacking the judge in the case, Habba said, “We have many judges, frankly, and I’m before some of them, who have shown a venomous vitriol against President Trump that is like nothing we’ve ever seen in the state of New York.”
She also called Bragg a “woke DA who’s now bringing a misdemeanor stacking it and trying to make it a felony” and dismissed the looming indictment as “30-34 counts of garbage.”
When asked about her role in searching Mar-a-Lago for documents, Habba said she wasn't looking for classified documents, adding, “I was looking for tax documents in another garbage case by (New York Attorney General) Leticia James.”
When pressed by Lemon about the accuracy of these claims, Habba responded, “I’m not in a deposition right now and I’m not going to continue this conversation.” She said her affidavit “is very public and I recommend you read it.”
“Yes, that’s not a secret. I testified to the grand jury,” she acknowledged.
While views on the indictment are split along party lines, the poll finds that majorities across major demographic divides all approve of the decision to indict the former president. That includes gender (62% of women, 58% of men), racial and ethnic groups (82% of Black adults, 71% of Hispanic adults, 51% of White adults), generational lines (69% under age 35; 62% age 35-49; 53% age 50-64; 54% 65 or older) and educational levels (68% with college degrees, 56% with some college or less).
A scant 10% overall see Trump as blameless regarding payments made to Daniels, but Americans are divided about whether his actions were illegal or merely unethical. About 4 in 10 say he acted illegally (37%), 33% unethically but not illegally, and another 20% say they aren't sure. Only 8% of political independents say Trump did nothing wrong, and among the rest, they are mostly on board with the indictment even if they aren't already convinced Trump did something illegal.
The survey suggests that the indictment has not had a major effect on views of Trump personally. The poll finds his favorability rating at 34% favorable to 58% unfavorable, similar to his standing in a January CNN poll, in which 32% held a favorable view of the former president and 63% an unfavorable one. Among Republicans, 72% hold a favorable view in the new poll, similar to the 68% who felt that way in January.
Note: The CNN poll was conducted by SSRS on March 31 and April 1 among a random national sample of 1,048 adults surveyed by text message after being recruited using probability-based methods. Results for the full sample have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.0 percentage points. It is larger for subgroups.
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