Donald Trump was seen waving from a limo and giving thumbs ahead of his expected arrest on Tuesday.
The former president, who faces charges over hush money paid during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an affair with porn star Stormy Daniels.
He was formally indicted by a Manhattan grand jury and is expected to hand himself in to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office in New York on Tuesday.
He was snapped by photographers as he left the Trump International Golf Club in Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday.
He could be seen through the limo’s tinted windows giving a thumbs up wearing his signature MAGA cap.
Prosecutors have contacted Trump’s lawyer to coordinate his surrender and arraignment.
The indictment document and the details of the charges remain sealed for now.
Trump is the first former US president to face criminal charges
He has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly attacked the investigation, called the indictment “political persecution” and predicted it would damage Democrats in 2024.
Trump himself is running to be President in 2024.
In a statement confirming the charges, defence lawyers Susan Necheles and Joseph Tacopina said Trump “did not commit any crime. We will vigorously fight this political prosecution in court.”
Trump has previously admitted reimbursing his lawyer for a $130,000 payment made just before the 2016 election to Stormy Daniels as part of a settlement about her alleged 2006 sexual encounter with Trump.
Trump, however, has denied any sexual encounter and claims the payment was in no way connected with the campaign he went on to win.
When booked the former president will be read the standard Miranda warning - told that he has the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney.
A mugshot will be taken but Trump is unlikely to be handcuffed, something typically used on suspects who are thought to be a flight risk.
There is no playbook for booking an ex-president with U.S. Secret Service protection.
As a former president, Trump is entitled to protection from secret agents unless he says he doesn’t need it.
He has kept his detail, so agents would need to be by his side at all times.
Safety has been a big concern for authorities. `
Trump issued a statement earlier this month in which he predicted his imminent arrest and called for protests.
He did not repeat that call in a fresh statement Thursday, but the New York Police Department told its 36,000 officers to be fully mobilised and ready to respond to any potential protests or unrest.
Jeremy Saland, a defence lawyer and former prosecutor in Manhattan, predicted Trump isn’t likely to be paraded in cuffs across a sidewalk or through a crowded courthouse hallway.
Saland said to expect a carefully choreographed and relatively quick process and release without bail (as is common in New York) — and with a focus on security.
He said: “It’s a public forum, but safety is also paramount.”
If defendants are notified of an indictment or an impending arrest, they often arrange to turn themselves in.
Doing so can smooth the process and strengthen arguments for bail by showing that they aren’t evading the case.
