Donald Trump did not choose to be impeached. He has not chosen a date for his court appearance. But when the Manhattan District Attorney charged him, he began plotting the next scene.
As Trump traveled from Florida to New York on Monday to be indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, supporters waved Trump flags on the street outside and news cameras followed his motorcade away from his Mar-a- Lago Club, and major networks broadcast live footage of him at Palm Beach International Airport, walking up the stairs in a newly refurbished red, white, and navy plane, which he has dubbed Trump One.
It was one of the few times since Trump left office that he has enjoyed the ubiquitous media attention he enjoyed as president — except all while he was being indicted for an alleged crime.
Trump’s legal team spent the weekend negotiating the details of how and when Trump would surrender. The former president plans to spend the night at Trump Tower in Midtown before appearing in court in lower Manhattan on Tuesday, where he will be charged and coerced into having his fingerprints and mugshot taken. Although New York does not typically release mugshots, Trump’s photo was widely expected to leak.
Trump supporters are ready to embellish the image. “We’re going to have a mugshot. For the record, it’s going to be the most manly, masculine, best-looking mugshot ever,” joked former Trump White House spokesman Hogan Gidley, who still regularly Talk to Trump. “I can even say for sure, before I saw it.”
The confidential indictment will be released after Trump appears before a judge. NBC News reported Friday that Prague’s office will bring about 30 charges against the former president.
After the trial, Trump is scheduled to fly back to South Florida on Tuesday night and deliver a speech at Mar-a-Lago.
Cameras are not allowed in the courtroom, but a group of accredited journalists are allowed in under a longstanding New York state law. It was unclear whether Trump would be photographed entering the courthouse — a typical criminal moment of walking — or passing through a private entrance.
Security will be tight throughout the day as roads around the courthouse are closed. Trump’s Secret Service agents are working with the New York City Police Department and the Manhattan attorney’s office to escort Trump safely into the building. Once he stepped through the gate, he would be under the jurisdiction of New York authorities and the courts, according to Anthony Guglielmi, director of communications for the U.S. Secret Service.
