Donald Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Saturday he expected to be arrested this week (Picture: AP/Getty)
If Donald Trump’s ominous posts on his Truth Social platform are anything to go by, then he could be arrested as early as today.
At the weekend, he predicted his own arrest for alleged hush money payments to an adult film star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign.
This would be the first criminal case against any US president in history, and there are fears some of his far-right supporters would not take it well.
But so far there has been no official confirmation of the likelihood or the timing of any charges being brought against him.
The former US president called on his supporters to ‘protest’ his expected arrest (Picture: AFP)
Mr Trump himself urged people to protest, writing ‘PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK’ on the network.
New York City has been bracing for violence similar to the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol in Washington.
Workers were seen erecting barricades around a Manhattan courthouse yesterday anticipating clashes.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has been investigating Mr Trump’s role in a $130,000 payment that his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen made to Ms Daniels in exchange for her silence on an alleged affair.
Mr Trump allegedly paid off Ms Daniels over their affair in 2006 (Picture: reuters)
While this is not illegal, the Republican reimbursed Mr Cohen and the record for the payment says it was for legal fees.
Prosecutors argue this amounts to Mr Trump falsifying business records, and it is expected they would also say it breaks election law.
Such an indictment could hurt his chances of winning back the White House in 2024 from Democratic president Joe Biden.
Mr Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal campaign finance violations tied to his arranging payments to Ms Daniels and a second woman in exchange for silence about affairs they claimed with the politician.
Adult film actress Stormy Daniels claimed she had an affair with the politician (Picture: AP)
Sources cited by the Daily Mail claims he paid off Ms Daniels to prevent his wife from finding out details of his ‘indiscretions’, which would put even more pressure on their marriage.
They said: ‘Trump was beside himself that Melania would find out the details of his indiscretion – an indiscretion with a porn star no less.
‘He knew what the consequences could be and he would do whatever he could to keep a lid on it.’
At the time of the alleged fling in 2006, Ms Trump was caring for her then-four-month-old son Barron.
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But her husband has denied that any such affairs took place or any knowledge of the payments.
The decision on whether to file charges rests with New York City district attorney Alvin Bragg.
This investigation is only one of several legal challenges facing Mr Trump, who has also been accused of trying to tamper with Georgia’s 2020 election results and his retention of highly classified documents after departing office in 2021.
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‘Trump was beside himself that Melania would find out the details of his indiscretion.’
