It’s morning in New York as Donald Trump prepares to face criminal charges in a historic court hearing
He wakes up in Trump Tower, and will later make his way to Lower Manhattan as the first US president to appear in court charged with a criminal offence
New York police and security services are flooding the city, with barricades erected around the Manhattan court building
We still don’t know the exact charges he will face – but they relate to money paid to buy the silence of former porn star Stormy Daniels
He’s expected to be accused of falsifying his business records by allegedly saying the payment was for legal fees
Trump, who is running for president again in 2024, denies wrongdoing and has denounced the case against him as “political prosecution”
A conviction would not prevent him from running for the US presidency next year.
It’s approaching 09:30 in New York, and 14:30 in London, where my colleagues and I have been reporting on the build-up to Donald Trump’s formal arrest later today.
Large crowds of media and police are in place outside the Manhattan court where Trump will be the first former US president to face criminal charges.
A rally for Donald Trump is expected in the city later, organised by Republican House Representative Marjorie Taylor. Thousands of NYPD officers are on standby – although violent scenes are not expected.
Before then, I’m handing over the reins to my colleagues in the Washington bureau, who will be helming the page throughout the day.
Trump is currently in Trump Tower, where he stayed overnight. He’s expected to arrive at Manhattan Criminal Court sometime mid-afternoon local time, so stay with us as we bring you the latest on this historic day.
Stormy Daniels saga timeline
2006: Stormy Daniels – then 27 – allegedly has sex with Donald Trump, 60, in a hotel room after a golf tournament, a month after Melania Trump gave birth to their son, Barron.
2011: Stormy Daniels gives an interview to a magazine about her claims of an affair with Donald Trump. The article is not published after the magazine is allegedly threatened with a lawsuit.
2016: Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, pays Daniels $130,000 in exchange for her silence, days before Trump is elected president.
2018: The Wall Street Journal publishes a story about the alleged hush money, and says that Cohen helped suppress the 2011 magazine story. Trump denies the affair, Cohen denies the payment. Later that year Cohen pleads guilty to tax evasion, is sentenced to three years in prison, and testifies Trump directed him to make the hush money payment.
2019: Manhattan District Attorney’s office begins investigating fraud allegations against Trump Organization.
2020: Donald Trump loses the presidential election.
2023: A grand jury is convened to look at evidence in the hush-money probe. On 15 March, Cohen testifies for three hours. On 18 March, Trump says on social media he expects to be arrested.