Miami has set up a ring of steel around its federal courthouse as the city braces for thousands of protesters ahead of Donald Trump‘s arraignment on Tuesday afternoon.
Both supporters and opponents of the former president are expected to swarm the area ahead of his 3 pm arrival. City officials said they are prepared for a crowd of 5,000 to 50,000 people in the downtown area that houses the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. United States Federal Courthouse.
As Trump prepares to face charges on 37 federal counts related to his handling of classified documents after departing the White House, a new poll shows a majority of his fellow Republicans believe the case if politically motivated.
A combination of local, state and federal law enforcement is on hand with trucks of police in riot gear arriving on the scene Tuesday morning. Barriers and police tape were put up to control the crowds. Helicopters flew overhead.
There were only a handful of people on hand early in the morning but officials expect that number to increase as the time of Trump’s arrival gets closer. One of the early arrivals was a group wearing ‘Blacks for Trump’ t-shirts. Another man, wearing the American flag, carried a stick with a pig’s head through it.
Members of law enforcement wearing riot gear ride at the Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Miami ahead of Donald Trump’s arraignment
A Trump supporter carries a pig head on a stick
Many of Trump’s supporters were coordinating their movements on Twitter.
Kari Lake, the failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate who is a huge supporter of the former president, tweeted that she will be joining protesters on Tuesday.
Reporters lined up to get one of the 300 seats in the overflow room inside the courthouse. Only 20 journalists and members of the public will be let inside the actual courtroom where Trump will be arraigned.
Meanwhile, Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday found that 81% of Republicans thought the charges against Trump were politically motivated.
The poll also found that Trump still leads his rivals for the GOP presidential nomination by a wide margin. About 43% of Republicans said Trump was their preferred candidate, compared to 22% who picked Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Trump’s closest rival.
It’s unclear what will happen if any demonstrators are armed. Florida has loose gun laws. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez called for peaceful protests but didn’t say what was being done in the case anyone arrived carrying a fire arm.
Trump will be protected by his Secret Service detail when he arrives. The former president arrived in Miami on Monday afternoon from his home in Bedminister, N.J., flying in on his private plane known as Trump Force One.
Trump supporters arriving at the federal courthouse on Tuesday morning ahead of Trump’s arraignment at 3 pm
A Department of Homeland Security police officer on duty at the federal courthouse
A group of Trump supporters wearing ‘Blacks for Trump’ arrived at the courthouse
The Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. United States Federal Courthouse where former President Donald Trump is scheduled to be arraigned
Police tape was set up around the courthouse
A combination of local, state and federal law enforcement is on hand
Officials expect anywhere from 5,000 to 50,000 protesters
He spent night at his Trump Doral Golf Club in Miami, having dinner there with his son Eric.
Trump smiled with fans and posed for photos, asking them about their line of work and thanking them for their support. In video obtained by CNN, he showed no sign of any stress ahead of Tuesday’s arraignment at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse, 12 miles from Doral.
A source familiar told DailyMail.com Monday night that Trump remained ‘jovial’ and ‘upbeat.’ ‘There were reports that the mood had turned. That couldn’t be further from the truth,’ the source said.
Melania Trump, meanwhile, spent Monday in a series of maintenance appointments around Manhattan.
In exclusive photos from DailyMail.com, the 53-year-old was spotted leaving Trump Tower to visit a building where a John Frieda hair salon is located. She also went a dentist, spending two hours inside that office.
Tuesday will mark Trump’s second appearance in front of a judge in just three months and represents an unprecedented moment in American politics.
Trump supporter Gregg Donvan stands outside the courthouse
Former President Donald Trump will spend Tuesday back in court in downtown Miami, this time for the 37 federal charges he faces over his handling of classified documents after departing the White House. Times below are estimates because of security precautions
He is the first president to be hit with federal charges, and DailyMail.com has broken down how his day will unfold.
TRUMP’S MORNING AND TRIP TO THE MIAMI COURT
Trump will wake up at his Doral resort and have a clear morning, with his court appearance not scheduled until the afternoon.
He is said to be meeting with different lawyers to finalize a team that will take him to trial.
Two of his attorneys, Jim Trusty and John Rowley, suddenly resigned on Friday just hours after Trump announced he would be indicted.
It is still unclear why they left.
In the afternoon, he’ll take the black SUVs Tuesday to drive about 25 minutes to Miami’s downtown Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse.
At around 2:30 p.m. he’ll turn himself in and be processed.
A source familiar told DailyMail.com that Trump won’t be handcuffed, nor will there be a mugshot from this appearance, similar to what happened when he was processed for state charges in the Daniels case in New York in April.
He is expected to be fingerprinted.
The Miami Herald’s longtime federal court reporter Jay Weaver told NPR the fingerprinting could happen in the courthouse’s underground garage, away from the media’s prying cameras.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN INSIDE THE COURTROOM
Once processed, Trump will be brought into the court and will stand alongside his lawyers as the magistrate reads the charges.
The judge assigned to the case is the Trump-appointed Judge Aileen M. Cannon, but it’s unclear if she’ll oversee Tuesday’s hearing.
She previously ruled in the ex-president’s favor last summer, by permitting a special master to look through the documents the FBI gathered as part of the August Mar-a-Lago raid.
Once in court, Trump told Fox News Digital Thursday night that he will plead not guilty to the charges.
That could happen Tuesday or he could come back for an arraignment.
His lawyers could also ask the judge for the charges to be immediately thrown out.
Cameras will also not be allowed into the hearing – but some lucky journalists will be allowed in the room to take in the proceeding.
Late Monday, a judge rejected a request from news organizations to bring video equipment in, meaning there will only be a sketch artist.
DailyMail.com’s source noted that the configuration of the court building was different than the one in Manhattan.
‘The layout of the court building is different that New York so he’s likely to be using one of the private entrances. So that will be a little different. There won’t be much for the media to see,’ the source said, adding ‘it will be a quick turnaround with a brief hearing.’
Trump’s personal aide Walt Nauta has been summoned to appear in court at the same time as the former president.
Nauta traveled on Trump’s plane with the 2024 hopeful, Politico reported. Trump also traveled to Miami with Todd Blanche, a new Trump attorney, and longtime adviser Boris Epshteyn, the news site said.
AFTER HIS COURT APPEARANCE, TRUMP HEADS TO JERSEY FOR PRIMETIME ADDRESS
The proceedings are expected to be done by 3:30 p.m.
Then he will head back to his New Jersey club where he’ll make a primetime address.
Trump is expected to head directly to the airport once his session in federal court concludes.
After Trump faced state charges in Manhattan in April he flew to Florida to deliver a tirade in front of supporters and some family members at Mar-a-Lago.
This time around, Trump will leave Florida and head back north to his summer residence, his Bedminster, New Jersey resort, where he’ll address top donors and the press.
Donald Trump is seen on Monday evening at his resort in Doral, a suburb of Miami
Trump is seen posing with supporters in Doral on Monday evening. His aide Walt Nauta is seen to the far left, in a red tie: Nauta has been charged alongside Trump of conspiring to obstruct justice
Melania Trump spent Monday in a series of maintenance appointments around Manhattan
The address is expected to happen in primetime.
The event will serve as a fundraiser for Trump’s reelection bid, with Politico reporting that there will be a ‘candlelight dinner,’ a ‘photo opportunity’ and a ‘VIP reception’ with elected officials and special guests, according to an invitation.
