Donald Trump makes his way inside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in New York on April 4, 2023. Photo credit to Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
DONALD TRUMP IS under arrest.
The former president turned himself over to authorities in Manhattan on Tuesday after a grand jury voted to indict him last Thursday.
The indictment is yet to be made public, but Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, presumably centering on allegations that he arranged a hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.
Trump flew from Mar-a-Lago to New York City on Monday in preparation for his arrest and waved at supporters upon exiting the motorcade to enter the courthouse on Tuesday.
“Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse,” Trump posted to Truth Social before arriving. “Seems so SURREAL — WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can’t believe this is happening in America. MAGA!”
Rolling Stone reported on Monday that Trump wanted to turn his booking into a spectacle, opting for it to happen in Manhattan in the middle of the day rather than at night or by video. He also wanted a perp walk. “It’s kind of a Jesus Christ thing,” said one source close to Trump’s legal team. “He is saying, ‘I’m absorbing all this pain from all around from everywhere so you don’t have to.’”
The arrest took place amid a chaotic scene outside the courthouse, with Trump supporters and opponents converging to demonstrate earlier on Tuesday. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) fled her own protest as anti-Trump demonstrators shouted her down as she tried to speak through a megaphone. The frenzy had subsided by the time Trump surrendered himself in the afternoon, although scores of media, law enforcement, and onlookers remained in the area.
The arrest is a moment for the history books, as it’s the first time a former U.S. president has faced criminal charges and the prospect of jail time. Trump pleaded not guilty himself — rather than through his lawyers — at an arraignment later on Tuesday and will fly back to Florida where he will deliver an address from Mar-a-Lago. He entered the courtroom around 2:30 p.m. ET.