Donald Trump turned himself into a New York court Tuesday, marking the first time in U.S. history that a former president has been arrested and faced with criminal charges.
The embattled businessman and Republican frontrunner for the 2024 presidential election entered the courthouse just before 1:30 p.m., EST, surrounded by Secret Service agents. Trump remained there for roughly two hours.
He flew back on his "Trump"-emblazoned plane to Florida, arriving at Palm Beach International Airport at approximately 6:43 EST.
See Also: 'Welcome To The Club' - Trump Indictment Unprecedented In U.S. But Abroad? Not At All
The charges (34 felony counts) stem from an investigation into whether Trump's hush money payments to an adult film star weeks before the 2016 election count as falsifying business records and a violation of campaign finance law.
Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen, previously testified before a grand jury to making six-figure payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels (real name Stephanie Clifford) and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both women claimed to have had sexual liaisons with the married Trump years prior to his political career.
Trump’s indictment, announced on March 30, had remained sealed until today. He pleads not guilty and denies the allegations as well as any wrongdoing involving payments.
See Also: Trump Reportedly Interfered In Mar-A-Lago Probe, Suggests Justice Department And FBI Evidence
Trump's legal counsel includes Todd Blanche, a former partner at Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft, as well as Joseph Tacopina, who in the past has represented famous clients such as retired New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez.
Judge Juan Manuel Merchan will preside over the trial.
In the days leading up to the arrest, New York City has dealt with bomb and death threats.
Police officers lined Lower Manhattan streets around Manhattan Supreme Court with barricades and dispatched bomb-sniffing dogs. There were estimated to be some 300 pro-Trump protestors on the scene.
What's Next: While Congressional Republicans have derided the matter as purely politically motivated, the former president has a litany of legal issues to contend with separate from Manhattan, D.A. Alvin Bragg's investigation, including:
- Fulton County D.A. Fani T. Willis investigation into election interference in Georgia.
- Special counsel Jack Smith's investigation of Trump's handling of classified materials taken to his Mar-A-Lago resort.
- New York Attorney General Letitia James' lawsuit against the Trump Organization, which is currently scheduled for Oct. 2.
Trump's ongoing legal drama comes amid the pending merger of Trump Media & Technology Group and Digital World Acquisition Corp DWAC. If the deal ever comes to fruition, Trump is expected to remain in control of the combined entity regardless of the trial's outcome.
There's also the question of whether Trump's arrest will hurt or benefit his presidential campaign. As Trump claimed in his book "The Art of the Deal," ghostwritten by author Tony Schwartz, "Good publicity is preferable to bad, but from a bottom-line perspective, bad publicity is sometimes better than no publicity at all."
Whether that axiom holds true in this saga remains to be seen.
See Bragg's press conference below:
Next: Trump Hush Money Case Not 'The End Game,' Attorney Says
Image created via MidJourney using artificial intelligence and Pixabay.
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