In a move that appears to be trying to pull on the nation’s heartstrings – and cough up money to fund his 2024 campaign – Donald Trump has sent his fans what he described as his “last email before my arrest”.
The email – titled “My last email before my arrest” – was sent by a joint fundraising committee supporting Mr Trump’s third White House bid lamenting the “loss of justice in America” as he is about to be arraigned on criminal charges over the 2016 hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
“As I will be out of commission for the next few hours, I want to take this moment to THANK YOU for all of your support,” the email said.
“I was blown away by all of the donations, support, and prayers we have received. It’s sad to see what’s happening — not for myself, but for our country. This is not the America you and I once knew.”
Mr Trump added that “there is no doubt in my mind that we will prevail once again and WIN the White House in 2024”.
Before closing out, he launched a fresh appeal for his followers to send him cash.
“Please make a contribution peacefully to SAVE AMERICA,” he wrote.
The email came as former White House Communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin said that she believes Mr Trump is “spiralling” over his rapidly escalating legal battle.
Ms Griffin said on The View on Tuesday that she does not believe for a minute the reports that Mr Trump has remained calm and is relishing the criminal indictment.
“There has been a bunch of reporting out that Trump is loving this and he is making money off of it, reportedly $8m,” Ms Griffin said.
“I know him well enough to know he is not loving this. He is spiraling. As someone, who despite his terrible actions, does think about legacy and how he is perceived.
“Now, his life, whether it’s his obituary, is going to say he was indicted, the first American president to be.”
Mr Trump will soon be arrested and arraigned in New York – becoming the first current or former US president to ever be criminally charged.
The former president will appear in-person before Judge Juan Merchan for his arraignment at 2.15pm ET on what is expected to be almost three dozen charges.
The arraignment will not be broadcast on TV after a New York judge banned video cameras from courtroom.
Ahead of his arraignment, he will be booked – with his fingerprints taken and details recorded.
However, he will not be handcuffed or put in a jail cell, and he is not expected to have his mugshot taken.
The charges are currently unconfirmed but reports suggest he will face 34 felony charges. The charges will be unsealed at his arraignment.
The former president flew into New York on Monday aboard his Trump Force One plane before spending the night at Trump Tower in Manhattan.
After Tuesday’s court hearing in Manhattan Criminal Court, he will fly straight back to Mar-a-Lago to deliver a primetime address at 8.15pm ET.
On Thursday 30 March, a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Mr Trump on criminal charges over hush money payments to adult film starStormy Daniels days just before the 2016 presidential election.
Manhattan prosecutors have been investigating whether Mr Trump falsified the Trump Organization’s business records when his former lawyer and “fixer”Michael Cohen made the payment of $130,0000 to Ms Daniels.
Prosecutors claim that the money was used to silence Ms Daniels about an alleged affair she had with Mr Trump.
Mr Trump has long denied having an affair with the adult film star.
Cohen was convicted of tax evasion, lying to Congress and campaign finance violations related to the payments to Ms Daniels. He was sentenced to three years in prison.
In recent weeks, the probe ramped up with both Cohen and Ms Daniels testifying before the grand jury.
Mr Trump was also invited to testify. Though it was an invite he unsurprisingly turned down, it was a strong sign an indictment was on the way.
But – despite his rampant Truth Social posts and his legal team going on a media blitz over the past few weeks – Mr Trump is said to have been caught off guard by news of the indictment.
Since then, he has blasted the charges, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and the judge expected to oversee his case in furious Truth Social posts fuming about what he claims is “political prosecution” and a “witch hunt”.
