Before his anticipated booking and arraignment, former President Donald Trump boarded his private plane on Monday and flew from Florida to New York. The nation’s biggest city had increased security and cautioned potential agitators that it was “not a playground for your misplaced anger.”
Live on national television, Trump’s ground journey from his Mar-a-Lago club to his red, white, and blue Boeing 757, emblazoned with “TRUMP” in gold letters, took him past fans cheering and waving banners for the former president. The case against Trump, which is related to hush money payments made during his 2016 campaign, is criticized by Trump and his followers as being politically motivated.
In New York, where Trump established a national reputation in business and entertainment before entering politics, the situation was very different.
As the first former president to face criminal charges while running for the White House a third time, Trump’s return to the city heralds the beginning of an unprecedented chapter in American history. It is resulting in unprecedented collisions between significant legal, political, and artistic events.
The former president planned to spend the night at Trump Tower, then surrender to authorities on Tuesday for booking and a likely afternoon arraignment. So far, officials have not seen an influx of people coming into the city, as was the case in Washington in the days before the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
Still, authorities warned that possessing a weapon in certain areas of the city, including near courthouses, is a crime.
“While there may be some rabble-rousers thinking about coming to our city tomorrow, our message is clear and simple: control yourselves,” said New York Mayor Eric Adams. “New York City is our home, not a playground for your misplaced anger. We are the safest large city in America because we respect the rule of law in New York City.”