Former US President Donald Trump has revealed he expects to be arrested in connection with the investigation by the the Manhattan District Attorney next week and called for protests from his supporters as New York law enforcement prepares for a possible indictment.
No president of the United States has been arrested before.
In a social media post on Saturday, March 18, Trump, referring to himself, said the “leading Republican candidate and former president of the United States will be arrested on Tuesday of next week.”
“Protest, take our nation back,” he wrote on Truth Social.
According to reports there have been several meetings between New York city, state and federal law enforcement agencies about how to prepare for a possible indictment of Trump.
While Trump in his social media posts offered no details on why he expects to be indicted, his legal team has been anticipating that it will happen soon and has been preparing behind the scenes for the next steps.
Trump is expected to present himself in Manhattan following the formal charges and has expressed interest in making a speech, according to the Washington Post.
His call for a protest in response to a potential arrest is similar his final days in office when he repeatedly urged his supporters to reject the results of the 2020 presidential election, culminating in the deadly January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
According to CNN, some of Trump’s advisers had urged him privately not to call for protests, as it could spiral out of control or resemble the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.
Trump’s US Secret Service detail would deliver him to the Manhattan district attorney’s office for fingerprinting and then taking mugshots in offices of the district attorney’s detective squad. As is customary in cases where a defendant is allowed to voluntarily surrender, after arrest processing, the former president would be brought directly to an arraignment before a judge where he will be released.