‘Trump or Death:’ Dueling protest outside the court mirror US share | World news
Dozens of Donald Trump supporters demonstrated outside the courthouse where the former president will be tried on criminal charges on Tuesday, as a handful of protesters chanted an anti-fascist message.
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Members of the New York Police Department’s community affairs division entered the fray as the pro-Trump group — many sporting the familiar “MAGA” hats and clothing emblazoned with the American flag — shouted slurs at their protest.
But it was the press crush that took up most of the space outside Manhattan’s criminal court ahead of the US president’s unexpected accusation at a 2:15 p.m. (1815 GMT) hearing.
Trump is scheduled to arrive in the early afternoon to face charges related to alleged campaign finance violations over his lavish payments to a porn star while running for his first presidential term.
The anti-Trump camp unfurled a large banner that read “Trump lies all the time” and chanted “Shut him up!” as Team MAGA brandished a banner with the caption “Trump or Death.
George Santos – the New York Republican congressman accused of lying his way into office – made a brief appearance in the park where the extreme right representative Marjorie Taylor Greene was due to hold a rally for Trump.
Paulina Farr traveled to the city from suburban Long Island to “show support for President Trump.”
The retired nurse told AFP that she was still under fire on January 6 at the Capitol in Washington by Trump supporters, and called Tuesday’s protest “very different.”
He vowed to continue: “We know the truth. I’m not afraid.”
The 76-year-old Trump is still the front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, although sealed charges that will be revealed on Tuesday could threaten to throw his viability as a candidate into question.
He is also using the case to energize his support base and raise millions of dollars for his bid to retake the White House next year.
At one point during the demonstrations, a Trump supporter tried to tear down the other party’s flag, prompting the police to intervene.
“I’ve jumped so many times now,” a regular anti-Trump protester, Laurie Biter, told AFP.
The 64-year-old praised the allegations against Trump but added, “It’s not an accusation that went through a court.”
“It is an accusation that we, as people of good conscience, have to take.”
