For Donald Trump, the first step after his criminal indictment on Thursday (March 30) is to surrender.
The former US president was indicted in a case that centers on a $130,000 hush money payout to the adult film star Stormy Daniels in violation of a campaign financing law. He is expected to turn himself in voluntarily for an arraignment on Tuesday (Apr. 4).
On that day, the exact charges, which are currently sealed, will be disclosed, and Trump will enter his plea. That plea is likely to be: “Not guilty.” Trump claims he is the innocent target of a witch hunt, and has called this indictment “political persecution and election interference at the highest level in history.” His lawyer Susan Necheles also said: “He did not commit any crime.”
During the arraignment, the judge will also outline conditions for Trump’s release, such as travel restrictions, home confinement, and more. It’s unlikely he’ll have to post bail, though.
On Trump’s fingerprints, mugshots, and more
On his way to the arraignment, Trump will be fingerprinted and have his mug-shot taken, as procedure dictates. The district attorney’s investigators will also swab his cheek to get a mandatory sample for New York’s DNA database.
However, the part of the ordinary arraignment process that he will likely be exempted from is the “perp walk,” in which detainees are paraded before cameras in handcuffs, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Trump will also not be placed in a holding cell; instead, he will probably remain in the custody of the Secret Service agents in charge of his security.
Conversations have already begun between the Secret Service, the US Marshals Service, and the New York Police Department, to make sure the arraignment goes smoothly, a senior police source told CNN.
Person of interest: Juan Manuel Merchan
Juan Manuel Merchan, the same judge who heard the case against the Trump Organization for tax fraud last year and fined the company $1.6 billion, will likely oversee this case.
Quotable: Trump’s day in court
“Karma.”
—Yusef Salaam, New York City Council candidate and one of the five New York teens wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for the 1989 rape of a jogger in Central Park, reacting to Trump’s criminal indictment. Trump repeatedly called for bringing back the state’s death penalty to execute the defendants and never apologized after they were cleared.
Can Donald Trump still run for president in 2024?
Short answer: Yes.
Here’s why. The former president, who announced his candidacy in November, can still make it to the polls—and that stands even if he’s convicted—because he fulfills the three basic criteria that the US constitution lays out for presidential candidates. He is:
🇺🇸 A natural-born citizen
👨At least 35 years old
🏠 A resident of the US for at least 14 years
If Trump is indeed put behind bars, campaigning might become tough. Currying favor and votes could also prove difficult. But there’s no law to stop him from running. Had he been indicted for the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill insurrection or if the Georgia election meddling probe had brought any charges against him, he may not have announced his candidacy. But the 2024 election is now around the corner, Trump has declared his run for the White House, and these cases are moving too slowly to catch up.
And he’s clearly milking the headlines to revive his campaign. Hours after his indictment, a Trump fundraising group called the Trump Save America Joint Fundraising Committee send out an email saying: “Please make a contribution—of truly any amount—to defend our movement from the never-ending witch hunts and WIN the WHITE HOUSE in 2024.”
One small number: Pay for a free T-shirt
$47: The donation amount that Trump’s campaign urged donors to make before midnight to get a new ‘I Stand with President Trump’ T-shirt “for FREE.”
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💸 Donald Trump is fearing arrest over a campaign finance law
👨⚖️ Former US President Donald Trump has been indicted by a grand jury.
📺 Rudy Giuliani’s television blitz suggests two ways that Trump broke the law