Former President Donald Trump landed in New York on Monday afternoon ahead of his historic arraignment in the Stormy Daniels hush money case on Tuesday.
It will make Trump the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges when he is arraigned, fingerprinted and photographed at the downtown Manhattan courthouse.
Trump Force One touched down at LaGuardia Airport just after 3.30pm following his flight from Mar-a-Lago, where supporters greeted him as his motorcade swept out of the gates.
The private Boeing 757 swept past the Manhattan skyline and parked on the tarmac, with the notorious Rikers Island jail in the background.
Trump, members of his staff and his legal team then made the 10-mile trip from Queens to Trump Tower, where he waved before ducking into a side entrance of the property.
He shied away from using his usual entry, where crowds were gathered awaiting his arrival and police were lining the streets.
The former president will spend the night at Trump Tower before his arraignment at around 2.15pm on Tuesday, where he could be facing 30 counts of business fraud.
Former President Donald Trump walks into Trump Tower in Manhattan, where he will spend the night ahead of his indictment on Tuesday
Trump looks towards the crowd as he walks into a an entrance of Trump Tower, less than 24 hours before his court appearance in the Stormy Daniels hush money case
The 45th President walks into his Manhattan property as he prepares to surrender to authorities on Tuesday
Crowds gathered outside Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue on Tuesday
New York is bracing for possible protests.
Police began building barricades along the edge of the sidewalks around Trump Tower and the Manhattan Criminal Court building downtown at the weekend.
On Monday in Florida, his motorcade pulled up to his jet and the former president boarded alone, before campaign staff and lawyers followed him up the rear steps.
After leaving office, his presidential motorcade was trimmed down to about four vehicles. But on Monday it was bulked by extra SUVs carrying staff.
His campaign managers Susie Wiles, and Chris LaCivita, as well as senior adviser Jason Miller, and spokesman Steven Cheung were traveling with him, along with his son Eric.
His lawyers have said he will enter a plea of not guilty and his legal team is preparing to add a constitutional expert amid fears that the judge in the case will impose a gag order.
On Monday his legal team also issued a plea to the judge to ban cameras from the courtroom and hired top defense attorney Todd Blanche to boost their defense.
The charges against Trump remain sealed, but it is believed they stem from an investigation into $130,000 hush money paid to adult movie star Stormy Daniels.
‘I will be leaving Mar-a-Lago on Monday at 12 noon, heading to Trump Tower in New York,’ the former president posted on Sunday night.
‘On Tuesday morning I will be going to, believe it or not, the Courthouse. America was not supposed to be this way!’
Court officials say he is due to arraigned at 2:15pm on Tuesday.
He is then expected to return to his Mar-a-Lago home where he plans to make a speech in the evening.
The former president is seen stepping off the plane at LaGuardia Airport after his plane touched down shortly after 3.30pm on Monday
Trump’s private plane sits on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport with the Rikers Island jail in the background
Trump landed in New York on Monday afternoon before his motorcade made the journey to his property in the heart of the Big Apple
The Trump jet flew in front of the Manhattan skyline on its approach to Manhattan
Trump’s motorcade leaves LaGuardia in Queens before heading off into Manhattan
Trump arrives at Palm Beach International Airport to board his plane for a flight to New York on Monday afternoon. He is expected to present himself to authorities on Tuesday
Trump’s motorcade swept out of Mar-a-Lago for the short drive to Palm Beach International Airport at about 12:20 on Monday afternoon. Supporters lined up along the route
One of Trump’s aides, clad in high-heels, boards the plane as part of his entourage
Donald Trump paused, turned and waved as he boarded his plane for to fly to New York on Monday afternoon. He was joined by campaign staff and lawyers for the flight
Eric Trump was spotted en route to the Palm Beach International Airport before departure
Eric tweeted a photo of the television in the main cabin with an image of Trump Force One
Trump supporters line the streets outside Mar-a-Lago on the route to Palm Beach International Airport, where his journey to Manhattan begins
A member of his MAGA faithful gives a thumbs up as she waits for the ex-President to pass
New York is bracing for possible protests. Police began building barricades along the edge of the sidewalks around Trump Tower and the Manhattan Criminal Court building
Despite his historic legal ordeal, Trump supporters were in confident mood Monday, predicting that ‘45’ would beat the yet-to-be-revealed charges which are thought to be related to supposed hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels.
Among them was Bob Kunst, 80, who had a blunt message for Manhattan District Attorney Melvyn Bragg, the architect of last week’s controversial Grand Jury indictment.
‘He’s stupid, he should be disbarred – the real criminal is Joe Biden,’ Kunst told DailyMail.com. ‘All he’s done is help Trump. People will flock to his side. We all see how dirty this is.
‘Bragg is playing a fascist game. He won’t deal with criminals in his own city or go after murderers – he just wants to stop Trump.’
His fury was echoed by Joe Rodkey, 76, a retired Navy veteran and former high school principal, who added: ‘What’s been done to Trump is so wrong.
‘Ever since he came down the staircase at Trump Tower and declared he was running for President they have been out to get him.
‘Before that he was just a rich celebrity and they loved him.
‘This Bragg guy knows he’s not going to win but he’s making a name for himself. Those of us who have been on the fence will say, this is just wrong, it’s an assault on our rule of law, it’s an assault on our justice system.’
Fanatical supporters wore MAGA hats, waved ‘Trump 24’ banners and even turned out in Truth Social merchandise to catch a glimpse of Trump.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted an invitation to join her at a protest near the courthouse.
‘They’re not coming after President Trump, they’re coming after us, he’s just in their way,’ she wrote.
Trump’s legal team is increasingly concerned that he could face a gag order.
‘President Trump stands for transparency and our American Constitution, and any attempt to prevent him, the leading candidate for president, from exercising his First Amendment right is a tyrannical, third-world country move which further proves that this is nothing more than a political witch-hunt utilizing a weaponized justice system,’ a spokesman said.
‘All Americans should be concerned about their rights being violated and any attempt to obstruct President Trump’s right to use his voice in order to speak truth to power should never be tolerated.
‘The whole targeted crusade is a complete political farce by the Manhattan DA meant to manipulate and interfere with an election against President Trump and his supporters.’
News of the indictment broke last Thursday.
It comes from an investigation led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Trump insists he is innocent and his allies say the charges are politically motivated.
Barricades have been set up around Trump Tower on on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan in preparation for the arrival of the former president
Manhattan District Attorney arrives at his office on Monday morning ahead of Trump’s flight to New York for his arraignment
Joe Tacopina and Susan Necheles are both veterans of New York’s celebrity trial circuit. But while Tacopina is known as a streetfighter, Necheles brings a more academic approach
A grand jury has been hearing evidence about allegations that Donald Trump paid $130,000 to adult movie star Stormy Daniels to buy her silence over their affair
His lawyers are preparing to lodge a motion having the case dismissed.
Joe Tacopina said on Sunday that some arrangements for the arrest and arraignment are still to be resolved.
He told CNN that a ‘perp walk,’ when a suspect is paraded before the media, was unlikely because of security concernes
‘I honestly don’t know how this is going to go – hopefully as smoothly as possible – and then we begin the battle to right this wrong,’. he said.
Trump is expected to appear before Justice Juan Merchan, also sat in the criminal trial last year when the former president’s company was convicted of tax fraud.
A court official said he will decide Monday whether cameras will be allowed in the courtroom.