The ex-president has called for widespread protests if he is indicted, and New York police have increased security in anticipation of a potential historic indictment of Donald Trump over hush money given to a porn actress.
Although a grand jury considers a probe by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg into the 2016 payment to Stormy Daniels, only a small number of Trump supporters showed up at a demonstration on Monday evening in America’s financial centre.
If an indictment is brought, Trump would be the first sitting or past president to be accused of a crime, a development that would have a profound impact on the 2024 presidential election, in which the 76-year-old is running to retake office.
Although Bragg, an elected Democrat, has not publicly announced any plans, he has recently called important witnesses to appear in front of the jury and invited Trump to do so.
Trump urged followers to protest and “take our nation back” over the weekend after stating that he anticipates being “arrested” on Tuesday. Yet, according to his attorney, the remarks were made based on media reports and there had been no recent prosecutions.
After speaking with its final witness, attorney Robert Costello, on Monday, some US media outlets reported that the panel would vote to indict when it meets again on Wednesday.
The NYPD set up barricades outside Bragg’s office and Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in preparation for an unprecedented arrest that would involve fingerprinting and possibly even handcuffing an ex-president of the United States.
According to the New York Times, more than a dozen senior police officers met with staff members from the mayor’s office on Sunday to talk about protest security and backup preparations.
Security measures had been taken by police and other law enforcement organisations, including setting up a perimeter surrounding the Manhattan Criminal Court, where Trump would probably appear before a judge.
Leading Democrats have expressed concern that Trump’s calls would lead to a repetition of the violence that his supporters instigated at the US Capitol in January 2021.
Some Trump backers in the online community known as “The Donald” called for a “national strike” and “Civil War 2.0” to defend Trump and resist any arrest.
However, there was little sign of a significant movement, and Trump supporters like his sons and prominent commentators did not publicly call for protests like they did when President Joe Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 election.
Lower Manhattan saw a tiny protest that was planned by the New York Young Republican Club, but it was quiet.
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