‘Expression! Expression! Expression!’ Will Donald Trump really be arrested on Tuesday?

Donald Trump says he will be arrested on Tuesday and called on his supporters to protest.

But how likely is the former US president to be arrested, as he says?

Trump’s claim comes as a New York grand jury investigates silent payments to women who alleged sex with the former president.

Although his attorney and spokesperson said there has been no communication from prosecutors, Trump said in a post on his social media platform that he expects to be arrested on Tuesday.

His post appeared designed to preempt an official announcement from prosecutors and to galvanize outrage among his supporter base ahead of widely anticipated charges. Within hours, his campaign was sending fundraising solicitations to his supporters, while influential Republicans in Congress and even some declared and potential rival candidates issued statements in his defense.

In a subsequent post that went beyond merely urging loyalists to protest his legal peril, the 2024 presidential candidate directed his general anger in all capitals at the Biden administration and raised the prospect of civil unrest:

“IT’S TIME!!!” he wrote. “WE CANNOT ALLOW THIS ANY MORE. THEY KILL OUR NATION WHILE WE SIT AND WATCH. WE MUST SAVE AMERICA! PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST!!! »

All of this was ominously reminiscent of the rhetoric he used shortly before the uprising at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. After hearing from the then-president at a rally in Washington that morning , his supporters marched to the Capitol and attempted to stop Congress’ certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the White House, smashing doors and windows in the building and leaving officers battered and bloodied.

District Attorney Alvin Bragg is believed to be considering charges in the secret money investigation and recently offered Trump a chance to testify before the grand jury. Local law enforcement officials are bracing for the public safety ramifications of an unprecedented lawsuit against a former US president.

In an internal email following Trump’s statements, Bragg said law enforcement would ensure that the 1,600 people who work in his office remained safe and that “any specific or credible threat” would be made. subject of an investigation.

There has been no public announcement of a deadline for the secret grand jury work in the case. At least one additional witness is expected to testify, further indicating that no indictment vote has yet been taken, according to a person familiar with the investigation who was not authorized to discuss the case publicly and has expressed on condition of anonymity.

That didn’t stop Trump from taking to his social media platform to say that “illegal leaks” from Bragg’s office indicate that “THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE AND FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK.”

A Trump attorney, Susan Necheles, said Trump’s message was “based on media reports,” and a spokeswoman said there was “no notification” from Bragg’s office, although that the origin of Trump’s Tuesday reference is unclear. comment.

Trump’s aides and legal team are bracing for the possibility of an impeachment. If that happened, he would only be arrested if he refused to surrender. Trump’s attorneys have previously said he would follow normal procedure, which means he would likely agree to go to a New York Police Department station or directly to Bragg’s office.

It’s unclear whether Trump’s supporters would heed his call to protest or if he would retain the same soft power he held as president. Trump’s posts on Truth Social generally receive far less attention than he did on Twitter, but he retains a deeply loyal base. The aftermath of the Jan. 6 riot, in which hundreds of Trump loyalists were arrested and prosecuted in federal court, may also have dampened supporters’ passion for confrontation.

The indictment of Trump, 76, would be an extraordinary development after years of investigations into his business, political and personal dealings.

Even as Trump continues his final White House campaign, there is no doubt that an indictment would be a distraction and give fodder to naysayers and critics weary of the legal scandals that have long enveloped him.

Besides the secret money investigation in New York, Trump faces separate criminal investigations in Atlanta and Washington over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.