International media have published a photo of former US President Donald Trump in the courtroom. He appears with his hands under the table, and it is not known if he is handcuffed or not.
Donald Trump is now officially arrested in New York, after he surrendered to the American authorities, an unprecedented case in the history of the United States.
Donald Trump is facing about 30 charges, including bribery to hide his extramarital affairs.
What happened?
Former President Donald Trump faces criminal charges stemming from allegations that in 2016, he paid to buy the silence of pornographic actress Stormy Daniels.
The first day of the trial is expected to be short – Mr. Trump will be fingerprinted, will learn the full indictment against him and is expected to plead not guilty.
Republican Donald Trump will become the first former US president to face criminal charges.
New York police are bracing for possible protests from Trump supporters who believe the indictments against him are politically motivated and aimed at undermining his bid to return to the White House in 2024.
The 76-year-old former president has fed this belief of his supporters and tried to use this situation to his political advantage, declaring that he has collected $8 million in less than a week from the indictment, which he calls " witch hunt".
In a Manhattan courtroom, prosecutors, led by New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, will read the indictment handed down last week by a grand jury.
This is when Trump and his defense attorneys will learn the full charges against the former president. Afterwards, the former president is expected to be released.
The investigations are based on payments made in the final days of his 2016 presidential campaign to pornographic actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Të dyja thonë se kanë kryer marrëdhënie seksuale me zotin Trump.
Ish presidenti mohon të ketë pasur marrëdhënie me to, ose se ka paguar për të blerë heshtjen e tyre.
Megjithëse prokurorët këmbëngulin vazhdimisht se asnjë person nuk është mbi ligjin, ngritja e kallëzimeve penale kundër një ish presidenti ka vështirësi logjistike.
Procesi në Nju Jork do të jetë një provë e rëndësishme, ndërsa prokurorët në Atlanta dhe Uashington po kryejnë hetime që mund të pasohen me akuza të reja kundër zotit Trump.
Këto hetime kanë të bëjnë me përpjekjet e tij për të përmbysur rezultatet e zgjedhjeve të vitit 2020 dhe keqpërdorimin e mundshëm të dokumenteve të klasifikuara në Mar-a-Lago.
Udhëheqësit republikanë, duke përfshirë rivalët e mundshëm të zotit Trump brenda partisë për zgjedhjet presidenciale të 2024, e kanë kritikuar procesin gjyqësor kundër tij.
President Biden, who has not yet declared whether he will run for re-election, and Democratic leaders have not spoken much about the case.
Prosecutors insist the trial against Mr Trump is not about politics. Trump is expected to return to his residence at "Mar-a-Lago" in Florida this evening, where he will hold a conference in front of at least 500 of his well-known supporters. Among the guests are some of the most pro-him Republicans in Congress.
The conviction would not prevent Mr Trump from running for or winning the 2024 presidential race.