Former President Donald Trump is expected to be greeted by supporters as he heads to Manhattan Criminal Court to be arraigned on Tuesday.
Trump supporters protesting the indictment—related to a hush money payment allegedly made to adult film actor Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign—began appearing in New York on Monday, the same day Trump arrived.
However, according to at least one post on social media, the drama surrounding Trump's arrival in court could have been avoided entirely.
The Claim
A tweet by lawyer and commentator Tristan Snell, posted on April 3, 2023, viewed 1.1 million times, stated: "BREAKING: Trump has lied about being forced to come to NYC for arrest and arraignment. He was offered the chance to be arraigned over Zoom from Mar-a-Lago and refused."
The Facts
Trump's impending arraignment in New York has attracted plenty of attention, himself describing the process as "a vicious witch hunt" in a campaign email sent on April 4, 2023.
The drama of his journey between New York and Florida to meet Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been played out in full media view, with some early speculation that Trump would be handcuffed.
So, could this have all been avoided? Was there an option for the former president to come quietly, so to speak, by meeting for a virtual arraignment?
It appears that the claim is based on an article published by Rolling Stone on April 3, 2023, in which an unnamed law enforcement official told the magazine "that the former president was offered a chance to surrender quietly and be arraigned over Zoom."
The source allegedly told Rolling Stone that Trump "wanted a perp walk; he wanted daylight hours."
The source added: "'He wants to get out of the vehicle and walk up the stairs. This is a nightmare for Secret Service, but they can only strongly suggest—not order—that Trump enter through the secure tunnels. Trump wants to greet the crowd.
"'This should be a surprise to no one—especially not his detail.'"
The article also quoted "a source close to his [Trump's] legal team" who said that Trump wanted to set a scene, calling it a "'kind of a Jesus Christ thing.'"
"'He is saying, 'I'm absorbing all this pain from all around from everywhere so you don't have to'....'If they can do this to me they can do this to you,' and that's a powerful message.'"
Although not mentioned in the article's headline, the rest of the piece states that the quotes are from unnamed sources and does not present them as a package of verified evidence.
In contrast, the tweet by Tristan Snell (without this additional information) presents this claim as fact, without the Rolling Stone article.
The allegations may be accurate and the sources credible, but Newsweek has so far been unable to verify them. The condition of anonymity and journalistic duty to protect source confidentiality may make further verification unlikely.
In any case, Snell's tweet does not mention the source's anonymity, adding the far more inflammatory charge that Trump "has lied."
Therefore, until further information comes to light, this claim remains unverified.
Newsweek has contacted Rolling Stone and a Donald Trump representative via email for comment, and messaged Tristan Snell via Twitter.
The Ruling
Unverified.
The claim the tweet is based on appears to have come from an April 3, 2023, Rolling Stone article which quoted two anonymous sources close to the Trump indictment and his campaign.
Although their claims could be credible, Newsweek has been unable to verify them independently. Snell's tweet, however, does not make this clear, stating the allegations as absolute fact.
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
