For the first time in his life, Donald Trump was a prisoner for about two hours. Just before 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, he turned himself in to police at Manhattan Criminal Court, initiating a bizarre period in American history that saw a former president placed under arrest.
Trump emerged from behind a blacked-out door after having his fingerprints taken, though he was not captured for a mug shot. Photographers briefly caught his grimace framed by his trademark navy suit, white shirt, and red tie. The 76-year-old defendant sat next to his defence attorneys in the courtroom with his hands in his lap.
Judge Juan Merchan questioned Trump on his plea to the 34 first-degree felonies of manipulating business documents, and Trump said, “Not guilty.”
The case revolves around Trump’s claimed role in directing Stormy Daniels’ hush-money payments through Michael Cohen, his former lawyer and fixer, in order to protect his 2016 presidential campaign from the porn star’s claims of an adulterous affair years earlier. The Trump Corporation’s ledger entries, check stubs, and other business documents that were made in order to reimburse Cohen, according to the prosecution, were all fabricated. They also mentioned similar actions taken by Trump’s then-friend David Pecker, who was the publisher of the National Enquirer, to “catch and kill” additional negative stories from Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal and a former Trump doorman in court documents.
Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, was seated behind the prosecution table, taking notes in a spiral-bound notebook while being surrounded by security. Days previously, Trump had posted a picture of himself attacking Bragg with a baseball bat. Since Trump started his well-known campaign of intimidation against him, Bragg has received at least one death threat.
As prosecutors asked Judge Merchan to address the ominous social media posts, the judge reprimanded Trump’s defence team for telling their client not to discuss the issue in public. Merchan also mentioned Daniels and the anticipated star witness, Cohen, in his request that the prosecution provide their witnesses the same advice.
Trump was taken away by Secret Service agents who had been by his side during the entire experience after Merchan ordered his release on his own recognizance. To get to La Guardia Airport, where Trump had made a dramatic landing a day earlier on his private jet from Mar-a-Lago, they rushed down the highway in dark cars.
Trump’s waning campaign for reelection has been energised by his indictment, with Republican officials and voters supporting him in the belief that the Democratic district attorney is engaging in a “witch hunt” against him. Since incorrectly projecting his own “arrest” would occur weeks ago, he has raised millions of dollars for his campaign, and he was headed back to Florida to make the entire day into a speech.
The arraignment was the most anticipated event in town, and Trump’s trip to New York was closely monitored just like O. J. Simpson’s was. 24 hours before the hearing was set to start, media in Manhattan started lined up for entry to the courthouse, and by early Tuesday morning, helicopters were buzzing with expectation. Several Trump supporters gathered outside to support the former president as he had requested weeks ago, but they and special guest Marjorie Taylor Greene were overpowered by opposing demonstrators.
