Donald Trump arrived in New York on Monday, where he will be indicted by a criminal court on Tuesday in a fraud case involving payments to a porn star, a historic judicial event for the former US president, AFP reports.

The impeachment of Donald Trump is all the more extraordinary as the 76-year-old Republican billionaire, who left the White House amid a major scandal in January 2021, has re-entered the race for the Republican nomination with the goal of another victory for the US presidency in November 2024.

The 45th president of the United States (2017-2021) prepared for the “battle” in New York, his lawyers claim.

“On Tuesday morning I’m going, believe it or not, to court. America wasn’t supposed to be like this,” he said Sunday night on his Truth social network.

Trump, who was indicted on March 30 by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, has pleaded not guilty, calling it a “witch hunt” and mobilizing his Republican supporters and elected officials to break ranks.

“Death of the rule of law”

Tuesday “is the day, in my opinion, the rule of law died in the United States,” the billionaire’s lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, said on television Sunday.

The property tycoon, who was born in New York and where he flourished with his wealth and empire, is due to face criminal charges from 18:15 GMT on Tuesday.

The charges have not been made public, but there are reportedly 30 of them, and they relate to concealing the accounting of a $130,000 kickback payment made in late 2016 to X-movie actress Stormy Daniels.

As part of the subpoena, an unprecedented ritual for a former head of state, Trump had to state his name, age and occupation, undergo a fingerprint check and be photographed, as is done with all defendants.

According to Tacopina’s lawyer, he will not be handcuffed, but he may have to walk the corridors of the Manhattan court in front of the media.

His security will be provided by the Secret Service, an elite police force that protects high-ranking American dignitaries.

“Innocent”

Before the judge, “the president will plead not guilty” because, according to his defense, “there is no crime.” Then Donald Trump should be released, possibly on parole, pending trial.

Surprised and saddened by the persecution in his hometown, the businessman wrote on the website Truth Social on Friday that he would not get a “fair trial in New York.”

In the area around the courthouse in lower Manhattan, where security has been tightened and police on high alert since Friday, supporters, including far-right Republican politician Marjorie Taylor Green, are planning a protest.

But New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a former police officer, on Monday warned of possible “scandals” to “police ourselves.”

Donald Trump, who for two-and-a-half years accused Joe Biden of “cheating” and “stealing” his November 2020 presidential victory, is scheduled to speak at home in Florida on Tuesday night at 00:15 GMT on Wednesday. .

At noon on Monday, the area around the Trump Tower on Manhattan’s iconic Fifth Avenue, where Donald Trump lives, was under increased security.

One case among many others

The case that has once again haunted Donald Trump dates back to October 2016, just before his unexpected election to the post of the world’s highest power.

His personal attorney, Michael Cohen, who opposed him, paid adult film actress Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, $130,000 to buy her silence. The porn star claims that she had a sexual relationship with Donald Trump, who is married to Melania.

The mogul acknowledged what Michael Cohen said, but insists the operation was not illegal.

If the Stormy Daniels deal was actually allowed, it could still be a campaign expense. However, this amount is not reflected in the candidate’s accounting records, but is listed as “legal expenses” in his company’s documents.

The Stormy Daniels investigation, which began in New York in 2018, is just one of many that threaten Donald Trump.

Federal prosecutors have begun investigating his role in the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol and his handling of presidential files after he left the White House.

In addition, a Georgia state attorney is considering pressuring election officials to challenge his 2020 presidential election loss.

Meanwhile, his supporters want to believe that his impeachment will only strengthen his candidacy in 2024 by increasing their sense of a “conspiracy” against him.