Former President Trump has landed in Florida, where he will be arraigned Tuesday on federal charges of willfully possessing documents with national security implications.
The Department of Justice unsealed an indictment Friday afternoon, formally charging Trump with 37 counts of mishandling classified records at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and trying to block the government from recovering the documents.
The city of Miami is prepping for what the mayor described as a possible “disruption.”
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez (R) said during a press conference Monday that the city is prepared to handle any protests and demonstrations that may occur during Trump’s first federal court appearance in connection to his alleged mishandling of documents Tuesday. He warned commuters that there could be “disruption” to traffic patterns, adding that they will shut down roads if necessary, but are not initially planning to do so.
Reaction to the indictment has ranged from accusations of the federal government being weaponized against political enemies to assertions that even a former president is not above the law.
Follow along here for updates.
Trump blames Biden poll numbers for DOJ indictment
Former President Trump claimed without evidence that the Biden administration was bringing a federal indictment against him because President Biden’s poll numbers have been dipping.
“They’re using this because they’re losing in the polls. They’re losing very big in the polls,” Trump said Monday in a radio interview in Miami.
“We’re beating Biden by 10 points, 11 points, 12 points. We’re beating him very easily. So they’re using this because they can’t win the election fairly and squarely,” Trump added, repeating disproven claims that Biden did not win the 2020 election.
—Sarah Fortinsky
Watergate attorney: Nauta should make a deal
Walt Nauta, an aide to former President Trump, should “do a plea deal,” according to former Watergate attorney John Dean.
“He’s he’s facing 20 years. It’s overwhelming evidence. It looks like beyond a reasonable doubt almost off the material. It’s raised in the indictment,” Dean told CNN on Monday afternoon.
Dean also said he thinks Nauta cannot win his case, “so he could strike a good deal and put this help put it away for the government.”
Trump radio interview at 6 p.m.
(AP/John Bazemore)
Former President Trump will have an interview at 6 p.m. Monday on Miami radio. It will be available on the Audacy app as well as streaming online at its website.
Radio Libre 790 (WAXY-AM) in Miami will broadcast the interview, along with 97.3 The Sky (WSKY-FM) in Gainesville, in partnership with Americano Media.
Trump allies test out a variety of defenses
Donald Trump and his allies are testing out a slew of defenses against the Justice Department’s 37-count indictment as the former president prepares for his first court appearance Tuesday on allegations he mishandled classified documents after leaving the White House.
The defense being voiced by the most Republicans, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), is that the Justice Department is pursuing a politically-motivated case.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the powerful chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, argues Trump had wide discretion to declassify documents.
And conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt points out that no documents were sold or given to third parties.
The litany of defenses reflect how much of the Republican apparatus still bends to Trump’s will even in times of crisis.
But it also underscores the severity of the charges and how the former president and his team might have difficulty finding a clear defense in the face of what even some Republicans acknowledge are serious charges.
—Brett Samuels and Rebecca Beitsch
Miami authorities warn of possible ‘disruption’ ahead of Trump’s arraignment
Miami authorities warned of possible “disruption” ahead of former President Trump’s Tuesday arraignment in the city.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez (R) said during a press conference Monday that the city is prepared to handle any protests and demonstrations that may occur during Trump’s first federal court appearance in connection to his alleged mishandling of documents Tuesday. He warned commuters that there could be “disruption” to traffic patterns, adding that they will shut down roads if necessary but are not initially planning to do so.
“We hope that tomorrow will be peaceful. We should encourage people to be peaceful in demonstrating how they feel,” Suarez said. “And we’re going to have the adequate forces necessary to ensure that. There may be, depending on the crowd size, some road closures, so people who live in the downtown area should expect additional traffic.”
Suarez also said that there will be increased emergency services in the area.
—Lauren Sforza
Trump arrives in Miami
Former President Trump has arrived in Florida ahead of his Tuesday court appearance.
The former president is expected to stay the night at Trump National Doral before being arraigned on 37 federal charges. He has called for his supporters to rally at the courthouse.
CNN reported that Trump is expected to meet with his legal team this afternoon and discuss a Florida strategy.
Media organizations request permission to take pre-hearing photos, video in courtroom
A coalition of 26 media organizations asked the court to allow photographs and filming inside the courtroom just ahead of former President Trump’s appearance Tuesday.
The request also urges the court to make same-day audio recordings available of all proceedings in the case, beginning with Tuesday.
“This is a case of exceptional public interest to the entire country and beyond. The judiciary’s dedication to open and transparent courts takes on added significance in historical proceedings such as this, where the public demands full and complete knowledge of what transpired to understand the government’s decision to exercise its prosecutorial power over Mr. Trump,” the motion states.
— Zach Schonfeld
Prepping for a historic hearing
Federal Protective Service Police officers cordon off an area outside the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse Monday in Miami. Former President Trump is set to appear at the federal court Tuesday, on dozens of felony charges accusing him of illegally hoarding classified information and thwarting the Justice Department’s efforts to get the records back. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Trump vows to appoint special prosecutor to ‘go after’ Biden if former president wins in 2024
Former President Trump on Monday threatened to appoint a special prosecutor to specifically target President Biden and his family if he’s reelected to the White House.
Trump’s post on Truth Social represents a brazen pledge to use the levers of government to target political rivals. It comes in the wake of his own indictment by a Justice Department special counsel stemming from his handling of classified materials after leaving office.
Alyssa Farah Griffin: Trump indictment worse than what ‘greatest detractors could have dreamt up’
Former White House communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin said Monday that former President Trump’s indictment was worse than what his “greatest detractors” thought it could be.
“There’s liability that comes with representing Donald Trump,” Griffin said on CNN. “It’s the same reason he struggled to hire really credible staff even on the campaign and the reelection side of things because you expose yourself to things like Walt Nauta is now seeing where you yourself can be guilty of committing a crime under his purview.”
Trump boards plane for Florida
Former President Trump is on his way to Miami, where he is slated to be in court Tuesday.
Live footage on CNN showed Trump board his plane at Newark Liberty International Airport just before noon Monday.
Motorcade leaves Bedminster for Florida
A motorcade has begun transporting Former President Trump from his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey to Florida Monday morning ahead of his expected arraignment in Miami Tuesday.
Trump is spending the night at his Doral property, he said earlier in the day.
Trump campaigned in Georgia, NC
Former President Trump said at a Georgia GOP convention event Saturday — the first of his two engagements that day — that his latest indictment is only driving his poll numbers up.
“It’s a horrible thing. It’s a horrible thing for this country,” Trump said of the indictment while in Columbus, Ga. “I mean, the only good thing about it is it’s driven my poll numbers way up. Can you believe it?”
“I will never yield,” the former president said later in the day at the North Carolina GOP convention. “I will never be deterred.”
Senate leaders mum on indictment
Senate leaders, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), are staying quiet on former President Trump’s latest indictment.
They are letting Trump’s legal troubles unfold without coming to the former president’s defense, in contrast to Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), who both issued statements Thursday criticizing the Justice Department before the indictment was unsealed to the public.
“They want him to go away, so they wouldn’t be very upset if this is the thing that finally takes him out,” a former Senate Republican aide said about the Senate Republican leaders’ silence on Trump’s indictment.
— Alexander Bolton
Trump heads to Florida
Former President Trump said Monday morning on his Truth Social platform that he’s headed to Florida, where he’ll be arraigned on a federal indictment Tuesday.
“Getting ready to head down to Doral in Miami. We must all be STRONG and DEFEAT the Communists, Marxists, and Radical Left Lunatics that are systematically destroying our Country. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he wrote in a post.
Bolton: Indictment is ‘devastating’
Former national security adviser John Bolton said the federal charges brought against former President Trump last week are “devastating,” adding that the indictment should result in the end of his Trump’s political career.
“This is a devastating indictment,” Bolton, who served under Trump, said Monday on CNN. “I speak here as an alumnus of the Justice Department myself, because not only is it powerful, it’s very narrowly tailored. They didn’t throw everything up against the wall to see what would stick that this really is a rifle shot. And I think it’s, it should be the end of Donald Trump’s political career.”
Bolton said that Trump may have taken the documents because he “may have just thought were cool.” He said he would have to see what was in the documents to answer the question of why Trump may have taken them.
—Lauren Sforza
READ: Trump indictment in classified documents case
The Department of Justice unsealed the indictment Friday, ahead of Trump’s expected appearance in court Tuesday.