Donald Trump turns himself in: The day in photos
NEW YORK - Former President Donald Trump surrendered to authorities Tuesday at a Manhattan courthouse ahead of his arraignment on criminal charges stemming from a hush money payment to a porn actor during his 2016 campaign.
Trump himself described the experience as "SURREAL" as he traveled from Trump Tower to a lower Manhattan courtroom, where he was to face a judge as the first former president in American history to be criminally prosecuted.
Trump's initial journey to turn himself in, started early Monday morning with a motorcade ride from his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida to his red, white and blue Boeing 757, emblazoned with his name in gold letters — all carried live on television.
Former US President Donald Trump (C) boards his plane at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, on April 3, 2023. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
The mini-parade took him past supporters waving banners and cheering, decrying the case against him.
Dozens of supporters of former US President Donald Trump await the motorcade that will take him to Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, on April 3, 2023. (Photo by Giorgio Viera / AFP) (Photo by GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Im
By Monday afternoon, Trump returned to New York to face his historic booking and arraignment.
Former US President Donald Trump makes his way inside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in New York on April 4, 2023. - Donald Trump will make an unprecedented appearance before a New York judge on April 4, 2023 to answer criminal charges that threat
On Tuesday, Trump surrendered to authorities at a Manhattan courthouse.
Trump himself described the experience as "SURREAL" as he traveled from Trump Tower to a lower Manhattan courtroom, where he was to face a judge as the first former president in American history to be criminally prosecuted.
The arraignment, though expected to be brief and procedural in nature, amounts to a remarkable reckoning for Trump after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings. The case is unfolding against the backdrop not only of his third campaign for the White House but also against other investigations in Washington and Atlanta that might yet produce even more charges.
Former US president Donald Trump appears in court at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on April 4, 2023. (Photo by Seth WENIG / POOL / AFP) (Photo by SETH WENIG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
It represents the new split-screen reality for Trump as he submits to the dour demands of the American criminal justice system while projecting an aura of defiance and victimhood at celebratory campaign events.
Meanwhile, Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of Trump’s staunchest supporters in Congress, staged a brief rally at the park, but the scene was so chaotic that it was hard to hear her over the crush of reporters and protesters.
"We’re the party of peace," Greene said, thanking those Trump supporters present. "Democrats are communists."
Embattled Republican New York Rep. George Santos also showed up in solidarity with Trump, saying, "I want to support the president."
The Associated Press contributed to this story.