Prior to his Tuesday court appearance in Miami, Florida, where he is accused of handling national security material improperly, Donald Trump is spending the night there.
The former US president took a plane from his New Jersey golf club to his Trump Doral resort outside of Miami.
Trump is accused of illegally keeping a number of confidential documents, some of which include nuclear secrets.
He has already been accused of a crime twice this year.
As he confronts the first-ever federal criminal prosecution against a former US president, Mr. Trump, who is running for re-election to the White House in 2024, has denied any wrongdoing.
He entered the steakhouse of his Miami golf resort on Monday night, appearing subdued yet unfazed.
Mr. Trump gave the few diners at the BLT Prime restaurant his trademark thumbs-up and even posed for a picture with some guys who were out for happy hour.
Trump arrives in Florida ahead of court appearance Today
One of the customers yelled from his bar stool, “With you all the way!”
Mr. Trump said, “Thank you very much,” and then security led him to the eating room.
When numerous security personnel showed up and casually swept diners with metal detectors, the attendees got a hint that Mr. Trump was about to arrive. A few people had their phones set to take pictures.
The workers, on the other hand, ignored their boss’ appearance and carried on serving customers and mixing drinks.
There were a few supporters at the pub as well. With a Trump banner covering the back of her chair, one woman sipped wine.
Trump expressed his displeasure with the indictment in an interview on a Spanish-language talk radio show in Miami and charged that the Biden administration had turned the police into weapons against him.
Francis Suarez, the mayor of Miami, told reporters that the city was getting ready for Mr. Trump’s court appearance.
Although other sources told US media that the estimated number was in the low thousands, he added that police would be stationed in preparation for gatherings of up to 50,000 people.
“We encourage people to be peaceful,” Mr. Suarez stated.
On June 12, 2023, Donald Trump, a former US president, lands aboard Trump Force One in Miami, Florida.
He is sequestered at his Trump Doral golf property outside of Miami.
In his first public outing since the allegations, Mr. Trump stated on Saturday that the investigation amounted to “election interference” by the “corrupt” FBI and law department.
A close assistant of the former president, Walt Nauta, who was charged by the same grand jury in Florida, will also appear in court with him.
Six criminal charges against Mr. Nauta are based on his alleged manipulation of national security documents. At 15:00 local time (20:00 BST), both men are due to make their initial court appearances.
Although a court sketch artist will be there, a federal judge rejected press organisations’ requests for photo and video access throughout the hearing on Tuesday.
After that, it is anticipated that Mr. Trump will travel back to Bedminster and address the media.
More than 100 documents with classified markings were discovered at Mr. Trump’s exclusive Florida club, Mar-a-Lago, in August, leading to last week’s 37-count indictment.
The Republican is charged by federal prosecutors with illegally holding onto documents, concealing some of them in a ballroom and a shower at Mar-a-Lago, and conspiring with a staff member to thwart efforts by the government to recover them.
The records apparently included details on the military and weaponry prowess of both the US and other nations, as well as strategies for potential retribution in the event of a foreign assault.
According to the accusation, Mr. Trump attempted to hinder the FBI’s investigation into the missing documents by advising his lawyer to “hide or destroy” them or say he did not have them.
According to legal experts, if he is found guilty of the criminal allegations, he might face a lengthy prison sentence. Regardless of the outcome, Mr. Trump has promised to continue his presidential campaign.
Additionally, Mr. Trump has mentioned that Mr. Biden’s previous workplace and Delaware residence, including his garage, both contained secret documents.
In contrast to Mr. Trump’s alleged attempts to impede investigators, the White House has previously stated that it swiftly cooperated with officials after those papers were discovered.
Special Counsel Robert Hur is in charge of a federal inquiry into Mr. Biden’s handling of top-secret documents, which is currently ongoing.
Credit: BBC