Donald Trump has reportedly told staffers that he wants to be handcuffed in court if indicted in Manhattan.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs has been investigating Trump for hush money allegedly paid to adult film actor Stormy Daniels after an affair.
Trump has consistently said the investigation is politically motivated and that he never had an affair with Daniels.
According to aides close to the former President, he believes a “spectacle” would be advantageous for his political comeback. Trump reportedly thinks he can project defiance if handcuffed and made to do on a “perp walk.”
People close to the president also told The Guardian that Trump wants to avoid looking like he was given a special arrangement. According to reports, he is adamant about wanting to show up to court in person.
Trump wrongly predicted that he would be arrested on March 20. In a post on Truth Social, he attempted to galvanize supporters to protest his arrest.
“THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE AND FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK,” Trump wrote on the social site. He advised his supporters to “PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!”
New York’s investigation into Trump is among several probes into the former president. Trump also faces investigations in Georgia and a Department of Justice probe into the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. He is also the center of investigations into allegedly mishandling classified documents in his private Mar-A-Lago residence.
