The State of Play Before Trump’s Historic Arraignment

What’s happening? Last night, former President Donald Trump flew into Manhattan from his Mar-a-Lago estate to surrender for arraignment. He’ll turn himself into District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office at some point and then appear for arraignment at 2:15 PM to be fingerprinted, though it’s unclear if he’ll have a mugshot taken. The D.A.’s office leaked that he will be charged with 34 felony counts.

Protests? The city has been preparing for over a week, placing steel barricades near the courthouse and Trump Tower in case of possible protests. Still, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that there were no credible threats reported. Trump allies like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) are planning a rally in the city following the arraignment.

Catch up: As Upward News previously reported, the lawsuit against the former president is weak to the extent that even liberal outlets agree. The case concerns Trump’s former lawyer paying off porn star Stormy Daniels. Most Americans, nearly 2-to-1, believe the case is political, with many pointing out that the district attorney campaigned on indicting Trump before there was a case.

Other cases: There are two other considerable legal efforts against Trump. There’s the Georgia investigation, where prosecutors consider conspiracy and racketeering charges based on the “find the fraud” hoax. The other relates to Trump’s handling of classified documents, a scandal that President Joe Biden is also guilty of. According to The Washington Post, the Justice Department and the FBI are escalating that investigation with new evidence as of two days ago.