Trump set to speak from Florida after arraignment

Doina Chiacu, Steve Holland and Rich McKay | April 3, 2023

Former US president Donald Trump is set to make public remarks in Florida after being arraigned in New York City on an indictment by a grand jury that heard evidence on hush money paid to a porn star before the 2016 election, while his lawyer says he anticipates moving to dismiss the charges.

Trump, 76, is expected to be arraigned, fingerprinted and photographed at a Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday as he becomes the first former US president to face criminal charges.

Joe Tacopina, a Trump lawyer, said he expects more details surrounding the arraignment to be resolved on Monday and noted that the Secret Service, which protects former presidents, also has a role to play on Tuesday.

“All the Tuesday stuff is still very much up in the air, other than the fact that we will very loudly and proudly say, ‘Not guilty’,'” Tacopina told CNN’s State of the Union program.

He portrayed the charges as politically motivated to harm Trump as he seeks to regain the presidency in 2024.

Tacopina said it was unlikely there would be a “perp walk”, where an individual who has been charged is paraded in front of the news media, because of security concerns.

Before the indictment, the grand jury heard evidence about a $US130,000 ($A195,000) payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels in the waning days of the 2016 presidential campaign. 

Daniels has said she was paid to keep silent about a sexual encounter she had with Trump in 2006. Trump has denied any such encounter.

Word of the indictment surfaced on Thursday though the specific charges against Trump arising from the investigation led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, have not been made public.

“We’re not doing anything at the arraignment because that would be showmanship and nothing more – because we haven’t even seen the indictment,” Tacopina said.

Tacopina said Trump’s lawyers would dissect the indictment once it was made public and would look at “every potential issue” to challenge.

A court official said the arraignment was scheduled for 2.15pm on Tuesday (0415 on Wednesday AEST). The official said the judge has asked both sides to submit their positions on whether cameras and video should be allowed in the courtroom.

Trump plans to deliver remarks at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach on Tuesday night, his office said on Sunday.

A campaign source said the Republican businessman-turned-politician was likely to focus on what he felt was his political persecution and “the political weaponisation of the justice system to manipulate an election”.

Trump, who launched his 2024 candidacy in November, plans to fly to New York on Monday from Mar-a-Lago and spend the night at Trump Tower before his court appearance, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters last week.

Trump is expected to appear before Justice Juan Merchan in Manhattan. Merchan also presided over a criminal trial last year in which Trump’s real estate company was convicted of tax fraud, though Trump himself was not charged.

Trump on Friday lashed out at Merchan, saying the judge hates him and treated the Trump Organization “viciously”.

Former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson announced his candidacy on Sunday for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and called on Trump to drop out of the race.

“I think it’s a sad day for America that we have a former president that’s indicted,” Hutchinson said on ABC’s This Week.

Asked whether Trump should step aside from the race, Hutchinson said, “Well, he should, but at the same time, we know he’s not.”