by Sharon Rondeau
(Apr. 3, 2023) — At 3:27 p.m. Monday, 45th President of the United States and 2024 presidential candidate Donald J. Trump’s newly-refurbished campaign aircraft landed at LaGuardia Airport in New York after an approximately two-hour flight from West Palm Beach, FL and Trump’s resort, Mar-a-Lago.
On Tuesday Trump is expected to place himself into the custody of the NYPD and U.S. Secret Service, the latter of which provides protection for current and former presidents, to face what has been reported to be multiple charges involving “falsifying business records” in connection with a 2016 non-disclosure agreement with adult film actress Stormy Daniels, whose birth name is Stephanie Clifford.
Trump denies he ever had an intimate relationship with Daniels, who in 2018 claimed the same, although the non-disclosure agreement reportedly was executed so that Daniels would not be able to tell her story alleging an affair through a news outlet prior to the 2016 election.
Former Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen, who is now disbarred, reportedly arranged the agreement and payment using his own funds, after which the Trump Organization reimbursed him the original $130,000 plus additional expenses during 2017, reports have said.
In 2018, Cohen told his then-attorney, who was responding to an FEC complaint filed by the organization Common Cause, that he was not reimbursed for the $130,000 and that “neither the Trump Organization nor the Trump campaign was a party to the transaction…” and “neither reimbursed Mr. Cohen for the payment directly or indirectly.”
During the flight from Florida to New York City, Trump issued substantial commentary on his TruthSocial account with photos and videos depicting his departure from West Palm Beach featuring supporters enthusiastically waving “Trump 2020,” “Trump 2024” and American flags as his motorcade made its way to the airport.
Under the Twitter hashtag “LaGuardia,” political opponents salivated at Trump’s impending surrender to authorities in light of Thursday’s grand-jury indictment and the arraignment scheduled for 2:15 p.m. Tuesday.
ABC News posted a seconds-long GIF of Trump’s disembarking at LaGuardia:
The last message in the string Trump posted sought to raise money for his campaign, while those preceding it contained his thoughts on current events.
At approximately 2:00 p.m., Trump commented on the situation at the southern border, writing, “Let Brandon Judd and the GREAT Border Patrol do their job. Just 3 years ago, we had the safest and best Border in U.S. History, BY FAR!”
Judd is president of the National Border Patrol Council and is a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel.
At about the same time, Trump connected White House occupant Joe Biden to the indictment, which was sought and is being prosecuted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
“Biden and his ‘people’ knew all about the Radical Left, Soros backed D.A. (Bragg) going after ‘Trump,’ Trump wrote. “They pushed the Racist D.A., which wasn’t difficult, even putting a top Democrat DOJ official (Matthew Collangelo) into Bragg’s Office (who even sign’s subpoenas!) to push this Witch Hunt forward. The Fake News refuses to report this, but now everyone knows. Election Interference!”
Since prior to his 2016 win over Hillary Clinton which took Washington, DC and its elites by surprise, Trump has decried the media as “the enemy of the people” and peddlers of “fake news.”
During Bragg’s 2021 campaign, multi-billionaire George Soros donated $1 million to the “Color of Change” political action committee, which advocates for “Black power,” “racial justice” and “prosecutor reform.” After receiving the donation from Soros, COC endorsed and “pledged over one million dollars on an independent expenditure (IE) campaign to support Alvin Bragg.”
Bragg, who is black, has reportedly downgraded criminal charges against numerous defendants, many of whom are black, or chosen not to prosecute them at all, a point Trump often makes in his TruthSocial posts.
“Since 2016, Color Of Change PAC has prioritized electing candidates for district attorney across the country who support criminal justice demands that will prioritize the well-being of Black communities while bringing about essential change to the criminal justice system,” the website votingwhileblack.org stated on May 8, 2021. “With today’s endorsement [of Bragg], the PAC is continuing its tradition of endorsing candidates who demonstrate an unfailing commitment to reform.”
Further commentary from Trump while in flight featured articles and video from his March 24 rally in Waco, TX; Democrat political pundit James Carville’s contention that Trump’s attacks on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is presumed to be planning to join the 2024 presidential race but over whom Trump holds a commanding lead in polls, particularly since the leak of the indictment Thursday night, have been effective.
Prior to that, Trump asked, rhetorically, what might be done regarding the discovery of Biden’s possession of classified documents in several unsecured locations as opposed to the Justice Department’s contention, culminating in an FBI raid at Mar-a-Lago August 8, that Trump illegally possessed classified documents from his presidency and refused to relinquish them.
“I followed the Presidential Records Act, he didn’t,” Trump wrote. “He OBSTRUCTED, I DIDN’T. Trump hating Prosecutor Jack Smith, a lunatic, should “GET BIDEN!”
Smith was assigned last year to investigate Trump’s alleged possession of the classified material as well as his alleged role in the January 6, 2021 “insurrection” at the U.S. Capitol.
A grand jury has reportedly been convened in the nation’s capital to examine evidence in the documents matter and to which Secret Service agents from Trump’s security detail will reportedly testify on Friday.
Even if convicted of a crime as a result of any of the investigations or prosecutions, the U.S. Constitution does not prohibit Trump from seeking the presidency. As this publication has reported, Article II, Section 1, clause 5 of the Constitution contains three requirements for the nation’s chief executive, who is also commander-in-chief of the military:
No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.
Trump’s first three messages following takeoff were short, beginning with, “HEADING TO NEW YORK. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” and as simple as “AMERICA FIRST!”
On Monday evening under the same Twitter hashtag, one Trump detractor claimed Trump could have participated in the arraignment via Zoom but declined. “So Trump was given the opportunity to be arraigned over Zoom, but instead he chose to fly into LaGuardia, spend the night at Trump Tower and be arraigned in person in NYC. He is making a spectacle of this just to try and squeeze every dollar out of his supporters….” wrote frequent Twitter commenter Ed Krassenstein.
While The Post & Email has not independently confirmed the account, an article posted at politicalwire.com sourced to Rolling Stone reports, “Donald Trump insisted on turning his Tuesday arraignment into a spectacle, and he’s going to get his wish.”
The article continues:
A law enforcement official tells Rolling Stone that the former president was offered a chance to surrender quietly and be arraigned over Zoom. Instead, Trump opted for a midday, high-profile booking at the Manhattan courthouse, the official says.
“He wanted a perp walk; he wanted daylight hours,” says the law enforcement official, who’s involved in aspects of the security planning. “He wants to get out of the vehicle and walk up the stairs. This is a nightmare for Secret Service, but they can only strongly suggest — not order — that Trump enter through the secure tunnels. Trump wants to greet the crowd. This should be a surprise to no one — especially not his detail.”
On Tuesday evening, Trump is expected to speak publicly following his return to Mar-a-Lago, although some reports have speculated that the judge in the case will impose a gag order.
Trump’s TruthSocial masthead contains his oft-used saying of, “THEY’RE NOT COMING AFTER ME, THEY’RE COMING AFTER YOU—I’M JUST STANDING IN THEIR WAY!”