On April 4th, Donald Trump was taken into custody in New York City after turning himself in to the district attorney’s office. This arrest was unexpected and marks the first time a former President of the United States has faced such severe criminal charges.
The arrest followed a grand jury’s decision on March 30th to indict Trump, although the charges were initially kept confidential. Trump responded to the grand jury’s decision by stating, according to Truth Social, “This is an attack on our country like we have never seen before.”
On March 18th, prior to his arrest, the 45th President of the United States predicted his own downfall in a post on his controversial social media platform. The charges against Trump stem from a $130,000 payment made to Stormy Daniels in 2016. Daniels claimed under oath that the payment was made to buy her silence about an alleged affair with Trump in 2006, before the election.
Despite his attorney, Michael Cohen, testifying against him at the grand jury hearing on March 15th, Trump has vehemently denied the affair and any involvement in the payment. However, before entering the courtroom, Trump had already made his thoughts on his arrest clear.
On April 4th, prior to his arraignment hearing, Donald Trump arrived at the district attorney’s office. Before entering the courthouse, Trump expressed his disbelief about the situation on Truth Social, describing the experience as “surreal” and exclaiming, “WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. I can’t believe this is happening in America!”
The unique circumstances surrounding Trump’s detention raise questions about whether he will be treated differently from other detainees. However, he will still be subject to standard booking procedures, including fingerprinting.
As expected, Trump did not go quietly. On March 18th, after news of his impending detention broke, he sent a passionate appeal to his loyal supporters. He urged them to “Protest, take back our country!” on Truth Social. Notably, prominent Republicans Marjorie Taylor Greene and George Santos were seen joining Trump’s supporters on the streets of New York City before his arraignment.
