Trump to fly to New York City ahead of arraignment

Former President Donald Trump is expected to fly to New York City on Monday ahead of his planned surrender Tuesday afternoon to face criminal charges.

Trump posted on his Truth Social account that he will leave his residence at Mar-a-Lago at noon ET. He is expected to fly via private aircraft to LaGuardia Airport, where he will then head to Trump Tower and spend the night.

“On Tuesday morning I will be going to, believe it or not, the Courthouse. America was not supposed to be this way!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

A grand jury indicted the former president last week, although the charge or charges remain under seal. A source familiar with the investigation told CBS News on Saturday that the president will be charged with falsifying business records in the first degree, a felony. Trump has denied all wrongdoing.

People walk by Trump Tower the morning after former president Donald Trump was indicted by a New York jury on March 31, 2023 in New York City. Trump has been indicted for his role in a hush money scheme prior to the 2016 election.

Spencer Platt / Getty Images

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been investigating alleged falsified business records connected to a $130,000 wire transfer to adult film star Stormy Daniels by Trump’s former attorney and one-time “fixer” Michael Cohen ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Trump has denied a sexual encounter with Daniels.

After he turns himself in, Trump will be in the custody of the New York Police Department and the Secret Service. He is expected to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon, and then he will be “processed like any other defendant,” CBS News legal analyst Rikki Klieman said. He will have his mugshot taken and then fingerprinted electronically, Klieman said.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, one of Trump’s closest allies in Congress, is planning to lead what she described as a “peaceful” protest in New York City on Tuesday afternoon.

Michael Alcazar, a retired NYPD detective with over 30 years of experience, told “CBS Mornings” on Monday that the “whole police department’s on standby just in case we need more police officers to respond to the scene in case it gets out of hand.”

Sources told CBS News that 35,000 officers are on standby for the arraignment, including for possible protests. Alcazar said he believed there will be “several hundred” police officers present at the courthouse in downtown Manhattan.

Trump announced on Sunday that he would give remarks from Mar-a-Lago at 8:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday after he is charged.