by Karen Freifeld and Jody Godoy
NEW YORK, April 4 (Reuters) – Donald Trump arrived at a court in Manhattan, New York, on Tuesday afternoon for a hearing in which the former US president will be formally charged over a payment made by his ex-lawyer to Stormy Daniels, former porn actress, during the 2016 election campaign.
It is the first time that a US president, incumbent or not, has been the subject of a criminal indictment, an event that prompted supporters and critics of Donald Trump to gather, noisily, outside the entrance of the court. New Yorker.
Donald Trump, 76, a declared candidate for next year’s presidential election and current front-runner in the Republican Party nomination race, was indicted last week by a Manhattan grand jury, without details being given. charges against him.
Arriving in New York on Monday from Florida, the businessman was escorted to court by a convoy of vehicles that left from Trump Tower.
Dressed in a dark blue suit and a red tie, he was expressionless before entering the court building, soberly waving to the crowd.
Donald Trump is expected to plead not guilty during the hearing during which the indictments against him will be announced.
Speaking via his social network Truth while on his way to court, the former White House tenant described the situation as “surreal”. “WOW they are going to ARREST me. Can’t believe this is happening in America”.
Donald Trump has assured in the past that he would continue his electoral campaign even if charged. He announced last November that he wanted to return to the presidency, thus preventing Democrat Joe Biden, who defeated him in November 2020, from obtaining a second term in the White House.
(Report Karen Freifeld and Jody Godoy, with Julia Harte, Tyler Clifford, Jonathan Allen, Jeenah Moon and David Dee Delgado, Nathan Layne, Doina Chiacu and Richard Cowan; French version Jean Terzian, editing by Bertrand Boucey)
