Washington (AFP) - Instead of snapping selfies at the White House, some tourists to the US capital got a taste of real Washington political drama Thursday.
Former president Donald Trump's court hearing attracted protesters, security officials, news media -- and visitors whose summer vacations suddenly included a piece of history-in-the-making.
The scene outside the E. Barrett Prettyman judicial building was "kind of a spectacle," said Tom Kerr, visiting from Massachusetts.
The 78-year-old and his wife Gayl Kerr had planned their trip before the indictment against Trump was unsealed earlier this week, and decided to take advantage of the timing to sneak a peek.
"We were walking around looking at the buildings and knew that we were close by, so we thought, 'Well, we'll walk to this corner and just see what's happening,'" Gayl, 76, told AFP.
"It's a national event, whether you like it or not," she added.
But the couple did not plan to stick around the police tape and TV broadcast vans for long, trying to catch a ride to visit the city's riverfront instead.
Several other tourists were also squeezing in a quick view of the courthouse between other attractions, including Dave Werner, who had brought his 12-year-old son Liam along on a business trip.
"We're doing touristy stuff," the 52-year-old from Houston, Texas explained, adding that the duo had just come from the National Archives and were on their way to the Supreme Court.
But young news junkie Liam insisted they add the court to their itinerary, hoping to perhaps catch a glimpse of Trump's motorcade.
"I've dragged (my dad) back to this courthouse three times already," he told AFP, adding that he'd be "focused" on the proceedings all day.
"We wanted to see it. It's a little bit of being part of history," Dave said, also worrying about how the case could get "politicized."
"I wish the whole thing had never happened. I wish (Trump) had not taken the actions he did that would cause the government to take these actions," he said. "But we have to go through it now."
'Impressive'
Thursday's hearing is the 77-year-old Trump's first appearance on four felony counts in special counsel Jack Smith's efforts to prove he tried to fraudulently hang on to power even after losing the White House to President Joe Biden.
The case is only one arm of the multiple legal troubles threatening the former real estate mogul.
Political science student Camille Decont and her father Francois Paolini, 50, said they have watched the whole story unfold from their native France.
"The Trump case is a worldwide issue," Paolini said, especially because what happens in the United States can have international implications.
"It's quite impressive," Decont, 19, said of the scene -- only blocks from the Capitol, where a mob of Trump supporters violently interrupted proceedings to certify the 2020 election on January 6, 2021.
"Seeing where it happens makes it really real," she added.
