USA: Trump expected in court next week Apparently more than 4 million US dollars in donations since indictment

The former US president is due to travel to Manhattan early next week. His court appearance may be accompanied by protests from his supporters.

Trump Tower © IMAGO/Agência EFE

New York, Washington Following the historic indictment against former US President Donald Trump, the 76-year-old is due to appear in court in New York next week. According to media reports, the official reading of the indictment, which Trump is expected to attend, will be held on Tuesday in Manhattan. The case is about clandestine payments to a porn actress.

Calls came from the ranks of Trump’s hardline supporters from the right wing of the Republican Party to travel to the US metropolis and protest the nomination. The city prepares for a large crowd and possible demonstrations.

Trump is the first former president in US history to face criminal charges. The district attorney’s office in Manhattan on Thursday night announced charges against the Republican, who is running again for the presidential candidacy in the November 2024 election.

Shortly before his election to the presidency in 2016, Trump paid a bribe to porn actress Stormy Daniels after she claimed to have had sex with him. Trump denies an affair, but not that the money has flowed. Payment may conflict with campaign finance rules. That’s what this case is about. The indictment is still under lock and key – the exact charges and details are still unclear and will only become public when the indictment is read.

According to several North American media, the meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, at 2:15 pm local (8:15 pm CET), at the courthouse in Manhattan. Trump is due to travel to New York for the proceedings, and then he would be briefly detained for fingerprints and police photos to be taken. In these situations, the accused are often handcuffed – whether that will happen in Trump’s case is questionable. It is considered certain that Trump can return home after this procedure. His lawyers had signaled in advance that he would appear of his own free will.

Four million dollars in new donations

As unprecedented as the actual accusations against a former president are, the footage of Trump appearing in court in New York will also be unprecedented. It is not clear whether the Republican could use the appearance to portray himself as a victim on the big stage and incite his supporters. According to Trump’s campaign staff, within 24 hours of the indictment being announced, he had already raised $4 million in donations for his defense. “I’m not afraid of what’s to come,” Trump said on Friday in an email he was using to raise funds.

Radical Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene called for protests. “I’m going to New York on Tuesday,” the ardent Trump supporter wrote on Twitter on Friday, referring to the planned reading of the indictment. “We must protest the unconstitutional witch hunt!” Within the framework of constitutional rights, Trump will be supported and “against tyrants” will protest. “See you Tuesday,” she wrote. Greene is on the far right of his party, spreading conspiracy theories and regularly hating minorities.

Trump himself urged his supporters to protest before the indictment was announced. The appeal brought back dark memories of the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. At that time, Trump incited supporters who then stormed into the parliament building in the capital, Washington.

There are now fears that Trump’s indictment in New York could lead to more violent marches. After Trump’s protest calls a few days ago, security around the Manhattan courthouse has been tightened. The unprecedented process puts democracy in the United States to the test.

After the indictment was announced, Trump spoke of “political harassment and election interference”. Several Republicans also reacted with outrage and considered the measure scandalous.

A trial and possible conviction could affect Trump’s plans for another presidential bid, at best, from a political standpoint. In purely legal terms, on the other hand, Trump could theoretically also be considered a convicted felon in the 2024 election, as legal experts emphasize. Trump had publicly announced his presidential candidacy several months ago.