On Monday, Donald J. Trump flew from Florida to New York to face trial in the first charge of a former American president, his every move being tracked from the time he left his Palm Beach home until he landed at Trump Tower in Midtown.
His red, white, and blue aircraft was tracked by live sensors all the way to La Guardia Airport. The convoy that carried him to his Manhattan residence, which was surrounded by press, cops, and protestors, was relayed by helicopters.
The noise will be replaced on Tuesday by a somber play with monumental stakes.
The former president will be escorted downtown by police officers and Secret Service operatives to the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, where he will submit. He will then be tried in the Manhattan Criminal Courts Building, where his fans intend to hold a demonstration.
Mayor Eric Adams cautioned Mr. Trump’s followers not to interrupt the procedures, saying the decorum of the processes would not be jeopardized. Barricades were set up, and the Police Department issued a stand-by order to its approximately 35,000 officers, a force bigger and better educated than some national militaries.
“While some rabble-rousers may be considering coming to our city tomorrow, our message is clear and simple: Control yourselves,” Mr. Adams said at a press briefing on Monday. “New York is not the place for your misplaced rage.”
The charge that sparked the outrage is related to a payment made during the 2016 election to purchase Stormy Daniels’ quiet. Ms. Daniels has admitted to having an intimate encounter with Mr. Trump in 2006. Mr. Trump has denied having an affair.
Mr. Bragg’s case against Mr. Trump has already roiled the national political scene, and Mr. Trump has slammed the proceedings as a biased move designed to derail his quest for the Republican presidential primary in 2024.
The charge stems from one of several inquiries into Mr. Trump’s behavior. In Georgia, the Fulton County district attorney is investigating whether he tried to coerce state officials into voting for him in the 2020 race.
A federal special counsel is investigating the case of secret papers discovered in his possession and his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, disturbance at the United States Capitol meant to prevent the ballot from being certified.
But Mr. Bragg was the first prosecutor to act, quickly becoming an electrical point for venomous condemnation from both Mr. Trump’s Republican friends and competitors. And the accusations, which will be unveiled on Tuesday, compelled Mr. Trump to make a spectacular return to the city where he grew up and ascended to prominence, catapulting him to the presidency.
His arrival has heightened tensions in the city, raising fears of disturbance while Mr. Trump is fingerprinted and processed.
Mr. Adams picked out Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a radical Republican from Georgia and ardent Trump supporter who has questioned the decision to charge Mr. Trump, in his caution to demonstrators.
She has promoted a protest on Tuesday with online conspiracy theory Jack Posobiec and right-wing pundit Graham Allen.
“Although there are no specific threats, people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is known to spread misinformation and hate speech, has stated her intention to visit town.” “Be on your best behavior when you’re in town,” Mr. Adams advised.
Representative Greene quickly responded on Twitter: “Now Mayor Adams is threatening me.” Unbelievable.”
President Biden said during a visit to Minnesota on Monday that he was sure New York officials could manage any problems. “I trust the New York Police Department,” he said.
While Mr. Trump urged demonstrations last month to “TAKE OUR NATION BACK” by declaring that he anticipated being jailed, he has not made any particular call to action for Tuesday similar to his Dec. 19, 2020, tweet that expressly invited fans to a Jan. 6 gathering in Washington.
It is unclear whether Mr. Trump intends to make a remark in New York following his indictment.
Even if he does, there are few indications that the overt planning of large demonstrations that defined the weeks and months leading up to Jan. 6 has occurred.
Mr. Trump departed his Mar-a-Lago resort on Monday and arrived in New York at 3:28 p.m. He was driven to Trump Tower, where at least four aircraft circled.
Dozens of police officers and investigators were positioned near the entryway, while cameras rushed up platforms to get better angles. Mr. Trump momentarily nodded to fans gathered behind police barriers.
Ariel Kohane, 51, of Manhattan, was among those who congregated behind pro-Trump signs. He stated that he came to “voice my outrage over what even some Democrats claim is political persecution.”
He stated, “This has nothing to do with law and order.” “The goal is to prevent him from running and winning in 2024.”
Dion Cini, 54, was seen at the intersection of East 56th Street and Fifth Avenue sporting a red “Make America Great Again” baseball cap and an “Ultra Extreme MAGA” T-shirt.
He shouted, “Give me liberty or give me death!”
A demonstrator dressed as a black jester pressed a trumpet to annoy Trump fans. When one of them replied with his own air trumpet, the cops had to break up the following wrestling battle.
For some individuals who were just attempting to get through the day, the disturbance stoked anti-Trump fires.
“Good lord, it makes you hate this guy even more,” said Nick Jones, 48, of Minneapolis, as he struggled to negotiate the narrow curb areas.
Even if Mr. Trump’s arrest sparked demonstrations in New York, officials appeared to have learned important lessons from the Capitol unrest and the challenges presented by national rallies against police brutality in 2020.
The New York City Police Department, local law enforcement organizations, the Secret Service, and the United States Marshals Service have boosted information gathering and coordination.
According to Robert Reilly, a retired F.B.I. investigator in New Jersey who oversaw domestic terrorist cases, New York City is a barrier and presents a fundamental issue that does not exist in other places where violent demonstrations have happened, such as Washington and Charlottesville, Va.
“It’s too far away, with too many tolls, and nowhere to park,” he explained.
Mr. Adams told New Yorkers that the NYPD was prepared to manage Mr. Trump’s arrival, whatever happened. He encouraged people to go about their daily lives as usual.
“New York City is always prepared,” he explained.
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