By Joshua Heron 

Howard University News Service

The New York Police Department is preparing for protests this week as Donald Trump is expected to arrive in Manhattan after becoming the first president to be indicted in American history.

A New York City grand jury indicted Trump on Thursday. Although sealed, charges are based on Trump’s payments to silence adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election.

“Trump faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud,” CNN reported.

Trump’s arraignment takes place on Tuesday. He is expected to fly into New York from Florida on Monday after his defense team and Manhattan prosecution communicated to decide on a surrender date.

The former president has denied involvement in the allegations, consistently maintaining his innocence.

Trump reacted to the indictment on truthsocial.com, saying, “They only brought this Fake, Corrupt, and Disgraceful Charge against me because I stand with the American People, and they know that I cannot get a fair trial in New York!”

Felix Martinez Sanchez, a criminology professor at Howard University, believes prosecutors don’t have an easy case on their hands.

“Despite the seriousness of the charges, there is a chance that Trump could win the case,” Sanchez said. “This is because the burden of proof lies with the prosecution, and they must demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump’s actions were criminal. Trump’s legal team is likely to use various legal strategies to defend him, including challenging the legality of the evidence and arguing that the prosecution has not met its burden of proof.”

“In addition, Trump’s lawyers may argue that the payment to Daniels was not a campaign finance violation because it was made for personal reasons rather than to influence the election,” Sanchez said. This could create doubt among jurors, making it more difficult for the prosecution to secure a conviction.”

Sanchez reveals the case could take time.

“Overall, the new Trump indictment related to hush money payments to Stormy Daniels is a complex legal situation that will likely take some time to unfold.”

Whether Trump wins or not, or however long the case takes, young voters remain adamant in their stance on Trump’s indictment.

Emari Osaze, a freshman English and pre-law major at Howard University, believes that the charges against Trump are fair and that his list of allegations prevents any contrition.

“It’s very deserved,” Osaze said. “It’s been a long time coming.”

The population in her hometown, from Danville, Illinois, votes majority Republican. Osaze says she is shocked by the accounts from her dad following the indictment.

“My dad tells me that he hears Republicans labeling the matter unfair. To me, that is shocking, and I wonder how delusional they can be.”

Austin Johnson also attends Howard University. He is a graduating senior majoring in psychology. He disagrees with Osaze and believes this is a premeditated attack on Trump.

“This is another attack on Trump, in addition to multiple other allegations. I strongly doubt the trial will go anywhere. The left-wing is just trying to prevent him from holding presidential powers again, and this, like the other attacking attempts, will most likely fail,” Johnson said.

Johnson also believes the charge will galvanize Trump’s supporters.

Trump has received support from his political party’s members.

Many Republicans, including former Vice President Mike Pence to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, detested the indictment.

The charges will be unsealed once Trump is arraigned on Tuesday. The Associated Press reports that the prosecution asked Trump to surrender Friday. However, “his lawyers said the Secret Service needed additional time as they made security preparations.”

Trump’s assigned Secret Service has toured the courthouse where the arraignment will occur. Former presidents have the right to Secret Service protection for life.

Secret Service agents have their work cut out for them, as Trump faces other allegations. Trump is under investigation in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., for allegedly attempting to hijack the 2020 presidential election and for the collection of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort home in Palm Beach, Florida.

Despite the charges in New York, Trump is still eligible to continue his 2024 election campaign.

Joshua Heron is a reporter for HUNewsService.com.