- By Sam Cabral & Holly Honderich
- In Washington DC
Watch: Trump’s historic journey in 60 seconds
Former US President Donald Trump consults with lawyers at Trump Tower in New York City as he prepares to face history-making criminal charges.
He is under investigation for hush money paid before the 2016 election to a porn star who says they had sex. He denies wrongdoing.
Additional security measures were taken by authorities in anticipation of protests outside the Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday.
Trump, 76, is the first former US president to face a criminal charge.
“WITCH HUNT,” the Republican wrote on his Truth Social platform before traveling from his home in Florida to New York on Monday – a trip that got blanket coverage on US news channels.
On Tuesday morning, dozens of police and court officials as well as Secret Service agents were expected to escort Mr Trump through the streets of New York to the Lower Manhattan court complex.
The charges he faces will be revealed in full at the hearing, which is scheduled for around 14:15 local time (19:15 BST). His lawyers have said that he will plead not guilty.
The former president is expected to surrender first to the office of Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg. He will then file it in court – meaning the charges will be read, and he will plead.
Mr Trump is under investigation over a $130,000 (£105,000) wire transfer by his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election.
Watch: Trump’s ‘perp walk’ moment explained in 60 seconds
Mr Trump has denied having sex with Ms Daniels.
The hush money deals are not illegal, but the Manhattan prosecutor is investigating whether business records were falsified in connection with the payment.
Mr Trump faces at least one felony charge in the case, according to US media. Some reports suggest there are as many as 30 counts in his indictment.
Media outlets lobbied Judge Juan Merchan to allow cameras inside the courtroom, a motion Mr Trump’s legal team opposed because they said it would “create a circus-like atmosphere at the arraignment “.
But on Monday night, Judge Merchan decided that some press photographers will be allowed to take pictures for a few minutes before the arraignment formally begins.
The former president is expected to be released on bail and return to his Florida home Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday evening, where he plans to make remarks at 20:15 local time.
His Monday lunchtime trip from Palm Beach to Manhattan was closely watched by millions.
Image source, Getty Images
Trump supporters protest outside the Manhattan District Attorney’s office
Live trackers followed his plane — painted red, white and blue with “Trump” in large letters on the side — on the nearly four-hour flight from West Palm Beach to LaGuardia Airport in Queens.
Anticipating his arrival, the intersection around Trump Tower – the former residence of Manhattan – was filled with New Yorkers and tourists.
Several media crews set up camp on every available corner while at least five news helicopters hovered above Fifth Avenue.
Mr Trump waved to the media and the crowd before entering the skyscraper under tight security, just after 16:15 local time (20:15 GMT).
Image source, Getty Images
A protester near Trump Tower
It is understood that he spent Monday night in Trump Tower consulting with legal advisers, a team that has grown with the addition of Todd Blanche, a white-collar criminal defense lawyer and ex-federal prosecutor who previously represented a Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
Mr Trump’s 2024 White House campaign has raised more than $8m since news of the charges against him broke last week, according to his team.
At a news conference on Monday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams warned any potential “rabble-rousers” to “control yourself”.
Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene plans to hold a pro-Trump rally near the courthouse on Tuesday.
Unlike in the days before the Capitol riots in 2021 by Trump supporters, New York officials say they have not seen any influx of protesters in the city in recent days.
President Joe Biden, at an event in the state of Minnesota on Monday, told reporters that he was not worried about the chaos in New York, saying: “I have faith in the New York Police Department.”
With additional reporting from Kayla Epstein in New York
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