Former President Donald Trump appears to be bracing for an impending arrest in connection to a hush-money payment he allegedly made to Porn Star Stormy Daniels in 2016. Trump made the announcement in a post on social media while also calling on his supporters to “protest” on his behalf. His former attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen, believes that Trump's statement was made in response to being contacted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who is leading the investigation into the payment. Trump’s team has denied being contacted by law enforcement and has accused the District Attorney’s Office of “illegal leaks”.
The payment, totaling $130,000, was allegedly made to buy Daniels’ silence over an affair she had with Trump in 2006. Trump has denied the allegations of the allegations. Cohen pleaded guilty to payment charges in 2018 and was sentenced to three years in prison. Since his release, Cohen has been very critical of Trump and documented his time working for him in two books.
According to Cohen, Trump's call for a protest is similar to the battle cry that preceded the Jan. 6 Insurrection at Capitol ; He believes that Trump is simply looking to "profit from this action by soliciting contributions" for his 2024 potential campaign. Trump's attempt to rally his supporters shows his desperation to stay in the public eye and to maintain a sense of control over the situation.