Donald Trump Isn't Going Down Without a Fight

On the eve of his historic indictment in New York, Donald Trump has continued to attack Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. He also shared polls suggesting his legal issues are not harming his 2024 campaign.

The former president is set to surrender to authorities at the Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday. Trump reportedly faces more than 30 criminal charges relating to business fraud in connection to the Stormy Daniels hush-money probe.

Trump denies all wrongdoing related to Bragg's investigation, including having an affair with Daniels. He is expected to plead not guilty when he appears in front of Manhattan Acting Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan at around 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday.

Trump posted a series of social-media posts on Monday night, before he becomes the first U.S. president in history to be charged with a crime. He accused Bragg of having "illegally leaked" reports suggesting that he is facing 34 felony counts when his indictment is unsealed on Tuesday. Trump added that the DA himself should be indicted.

"Wow! District Attorney Bragg just illegally LEAKED the various points, and complete information, on the pathetic Indictment against me," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

"I know the reporter and so, unfortunately, does he. This means that he MUST BE IMMEDIATELY INDICTED. Now, if he wants to really clean up his reputation, he will do the honorable thing and, as District Attorney, INDICT HIMSELF. He will go down in Judicial history, and his Trump Hating wife will be, I am sure, very proud of him!"

Newsweek has emailed the Manhattan District Attorney's Office for comment.

Trump has frequently attacked both Bragg and the DA's investigation into him. The former president has also accused Bragg of being "Soros backed." This is an often-cited line of attack from Republicans about the Jewish billionaire philanthropist George Soros, which critics argue is an antisemitic dog whistle.

Prosecutors had been looking into whether any records were falsified when Trump's former attorney Cohen was reimbursed $130,000 he paid to Daniels. This sum was given to her on behalf of the former president to keep secret an alleged 2006 affair he and the porn star had, ahead of the 2016 Election. The payment was listed by The Trump Organization as legal fees.

Falsification of business records is prosecuted as a misdemeanor in New York, but can be upgraded to felony if it was allegedly done to conceal another crime.

According to Yahoo News, Bragg's office bumped up all the charges against Trump to Class E felonies. The alleged concealment of an underlying crime that resulted in the increased charges will not be known until the indictment against Trump is unsealed on Tuesday.

Elsewhere on Monday night, Trump shared a number of surveys that show him with double-digit leads over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in hypothetical 2024 match-ups.

A poll shared by Trump on Truth Social even showed that Trump's lead over DeSantis—long thought to be the biggest challenger to Trump in the 2024 GOP presidential primary—has increased amid the former president's legal issues.

According to an Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday, 48 percent of Republican voters said they want Trump to be their party's presidential nominee in 2024. This is up from 44 percent in a March 14-20 poll.

In comparison, DeSantis has fallen in the polls from 30 percent in March to 19 percent in April. This means that Trump's lead on the Florida governor has increased from 14 points to 29 after his historic grand-jury indictment was announced.

Elsewhere, the Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 51 percent of poll respondents, including 80 percent of Republicans, said they believed the charges against Trump are politically motivated.

The former president, as well as a number of his MAGA loyalists, have constantly accused Bragg's and other investigations into him as being "witch hunts" against him.

Trump is not expected to be placed in handcuffs or made to take part in a "perp walk" outside the court when he surrenders on Tuesday.

New York Mayor Eric Adams said the city will be prepared for the historic arraignment while giving a warning to those who plan on protesting Trump's arrest.

"Although we have no specific threats, people like [Georgia congresswoman] Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is known to spread misinformation and hate speech, stated she's coming to town," Adams said during a Monday press briefing.

"While you are in town, be on your best behavior. As always, we will not allow violence or vandalism of any kind, and if one is caught participating in any act of violence, they will be arrested and held accountable, no matter who you are."