Barbara Plett Usher
Reporting from Mar-a-Lago

Image source, Getty Images

Donald Trump woke up at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida this morning set to make a familiar journey back to his former hometown that couldn’t feel less familiar.

The ride between the airport and my Palm Beach hotel took about 15 or 20 minutes but Trump will be speeded along by a secret service escort - which will accompany him to the New York courthouse on Tuesday where he’ll be arraigned on criminal charges related to hush money payments made to a porn star.

The former president kept up his normal routine at the weekend, playing a few rounds of golf. But at Mar-a-Lago he’s also been consulting advisers about how to approach the indictment - so far, his campaign has used it to rally supporters and raise funds.

Trump has been defiant throughout, and the courtroom will be a platform to reinforce that stance. His lawyer Joe Tacopina says he will plead not guilty: “We are ready for this fight.”

“Trump is a New Yorker and it’s probably impossible for him to not to push back when he’s attacked,” one of his supporters, Richard Bell, told me.

But Trump has also become a Florida man. He’ll get back to Palm Beach as quickly as possible, where he’s scheduled to make a speech on Tuesday evening that is likely to focus on what he feels is his political persecution.

Do you only have a minute or so to get up to speed with the latest? Here's all you need to know about Donald Trump's indictment:

Simon Atkinson
Reporting from Mar-a-Lago

On the bridge leading to Mar-a-Lago, about six flag-bearing Trump supporters are waiting to see the former president whizz by in the next couple of hours - though they are easily outnumbered by US and international media crews.

Walking to the site, I bump into Kevin Kunkle - an amiable ex-professor at a Florida health college.

Spotting the Australian-made hat I'm wearing to keep off the strong sun, he's as keen to tell me about his recent holiday there as to talk about the reason he’s turning out.

"Because of the sham prosecution they're trying to do in New York City, we just want to show our support for President Trump," he says

"He'll be our next president, this is just the next process he has to go through."

It's a line we've heard from many Trump fans in the past few days: Kunkle says the "weaponisation of the judiciary" will lead to an explosion of support from all sides of politics.

While many drivers of gas-guzzling SUVs driving by are honking their horns in support, not everyone is on their side.

"You lost guys," yells a cyclist as he speeds past towards Palm Beach, "get over it."

Sam Hancock
Live reporter

There are some details we know, but also a lot we don't, going into Donald Trump's courtroom "battle" - as his lawyer has described it - not least because this is the first time a sitting or former president of the US faces criminal charges.

Anything we do know has come from the authorities and Trump's legal team, while anything we don't is because it hasn't been made public yet.

We know this is about a hush money payment made to former porn star Stormy Daniels: she alleges they had an affair and that she accepted $130,000 (£100,000) from his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, before the 2016 election in exchange for her silence on the encounter. Trump has previously denied he had any sexual involvement with Daniels since the allegations surfaced in 2018.

We don't know the specific charges: details of them, including what they are and how many there are, remain sealed at the moment. Joe Tacopina, Trump's lawyer, has said he himself has not yet seen the charges.

Sources familiar with the case have told US media that the former president is being charged with falsifying business records in the first degree - a crime under US law - which suggests there's an issue with how the money was recorded in official accounts.

Image source, Reuters

We know that Trump won't be handcuffed: the Manhattan courthouse he's due to appear in will be closed on Tuesday afternoon for the hearing, according to Tacopina, who's also indicated that his client won't be handcuffed.

We don't know if he'll have to do a perp walk - though the fact Trump's due to hand himself in tomorrow, before the hearing, makes this unlikely. A perp walk is when law enforcement walks an arrested suspect through a public place, so the media can take photographs of them.

We know he'll have his mugshot and fingerprints taken: this is standard practice for anyone appearing before a US judge, charged with a criminal felony.

Sarah Smith, the BBC's North America editor, says Trump will likely use the mugshot in particular to his advantage as part of his 2024 re-election campaign.

"He thinks this is political gold for him - he can portray himself as being targeted by political opponents and say the justice system is being weaponised against him," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme earlier.

We don't know many other details about what might happen in court: Tacopina has said the rest remains a mystery.

"This is unprecedented… I just don't know what to expect to see," he told ABC's This Week programme on Sunday, adding that he hoped Trump and his team could "get in and out of there as quickly as possible".

Gareth Evans
Reporting from London

Donald Trump is currently at Mar-a-Lago, his sprawling beachfront residence and members-only club in Palm Beach, Florida. He said he plans to leave Florida at midday EST (16:00 GMT).

We know the former president will be accompanied by Secret Service agents from the moment he leaves Mar-a-Lago. One official who spoke on condition of anonymity told the Washington Post that “dozens and dozens” of agents would be required for the trip to New York.

He’ll likely travel by car to Palm Beach International Airport, which is 2.5 miles (4km) from Mar-a-Lago. While that isn’t confirmed, he’s used the airport many times before and it’s about a 15-minute drive.

As a former president - and given the large secret service presence that we know will be in tow - he is likely to travel to the airport as part of a motorcade.

Donald Trump's appearance at a New York court is likely to cause a media circus - so before then, here are the key timings over the next couple of days.

Today, the former US president will travel from his Mar-a-Lago home, in Florida, to New York where he'll spend the night before appearing in court on Tuesday. He says he'll begin this journey at 12:00 EST (16:00 GMT).

Tomorrow, he'll hand himself over to authorities sometime before 14:15 local time, when his hearing's due to begin in Manhattan.

Trump’s then scheduled to fly back to Florida, where he has said he'll make an address to some of his supporters at 20:15.

We'll be keeping an eye on all these moments too, and bring you the latest as and when it plays out.

Former US President Donald Trump is set to appear in court on Tuesday after being indicted in New York last week.

A payment to ex-porn star Stormy Daniels is at the heart of the case.

Daniels says she had an affair with Trump in 2006, which he denies.

Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid Daniels $130,000 (£100,000) to keep quiet before the 2016 US election.

The case likely revolves around how this was recorded.

The payment may violate laws about election financing.

Trump will be fingerprinted, have a mugshot photo taken and be brought before a judge.

Alexandra Fouché
Live reporter

Welcome to our live coverage as Donald Trump prepares to make his way from his Florida home, accompanied by secret service agents, to New York - ahead of his historic court appearance tomorrow.

It'll be the first time a former president has appeared in court facing criminal charges.

There's still a lot we don't know about what will happen - including whether tomorrow's proceedings will be televised.

Stick with us as we bring you all the latest events and reaction. Jamie Whitehead is also editing, and we are joined by writers Laura Gozzi, Sam Hancock, Beth Timmins and Ece Goksedef.