Trump arrested at Manhattan court, to face historic criminal charges

Former US President Donald Trump is appearing before a specially secured Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday to be arraigned on history-making criminal charges

Donald Trump’s next court date is not until December – which means he will be appearing as a criminal defendant just weeks before the Republican primary elections which determine who becomes the presidential candidate.

Will that be a problem for his campaign – or can he turn this prosecution to his electoral advantage?

In the days since it was announced he was to face criminal charges, his poll ratings have risen and his campaign claims to have raised over $10m.

So his strategy of claiming to be the victim of a politically- motivated legal witch hunt seems to be working – so far.

But Donald Trump is facing more legal investigations. He could yet be charged in the state of Georgia with trying to interfere with the results of the 2020 presidential elections. And in Washington DC a special counsel is looking at his role in the Jan 6th riots at the US capitol and the hundreds of classified documents found at his Florida home.

Even for a politician with as much bravado as Donald Trump, fighting a presidential election at the same time as one or more criminal court cases will be more than a little complicated.