Image source, EPA

The mayor of Miami has said police officials are bracing for large protests when Donald Trump makes his initial appearance in court later today.

The former US president faces a 37 charges of hoarding classified documents. He denies any wrongdoing.

In a joint press conference with the city's police chief, Mayor Francis Suarez urged calm as he warned that potentially thousands of people were planning to descend on the city to show their support for Trump.

“In our city, we obviously believe in the Constitution and believe that people should have the right to express themselves, but we also believe in law and order," he said yesterday.

"We hope that tomorrow will be peaceful. We encourage people to be peaceful in demonstrating how they feel."

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from outside the courthouse

We've been speaking to some people who have gathered outside the court in Miami.

Lazaro Ecenarro, 48, lined up starting at 14:00 yesterday.

The native Floridian said he wanted to be there to witness the “historic” day.

The staunchly pro-Trump supporter said the charges were the “second fraudulent charge that was created” against the former president.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from outside the courthouse

A line of dozens of reporters and a handful of Trump supporters has formed outside the court today, as journalists and members of the public wait for their chance to see the former president be arraigned later this afternoon.​

As of now, only one protestor has to come to show his support for Trump today.

A bigger threat to Trump's 2024 campaignpublished at 11:59 British Summer Time 13 June 2023

11:59 BST 13 June 2023

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

After his first indictment in New York, many speculated Donald Trump would pay a political price.

Instead he surged in Republican polls, nearly doubling his lead over the party’s other candidates to be the presidential nominee.

Republican voters may be able to dismiss the New York case as a personal matter - but the charges involved today are far more serious.

And as his legal troubles deepen, the weight of multiple indictments could begin to have an effect on Trump's standing.

It could, for instance, allow the message of party rivals like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis - who pitches himself as having Trump's policies without the baggage - to resonate.

And even if public opinion does not shift, mounting legal battles are sure to be a growing distraction for the former president as he continues to campaign for the Republican nomination.

These charges - over Donald Trump's handling of classified documents - follow separate ones slapped on him earlier this year for allegedly falsifying business records over a hush-money payment to former porn star Stormy Daniels.

The latest case is being brought by a federal grand jury, which makes Trump the first former US president in history to face criminal charges on a federal level - that is, at a national level.

It is against the law to keep classified or unauthorised documents and a conviction could carry jail time.

The other indictment was brought by a New York City jury in April. Trump has denied wrongdoing and criticised both indictments as "politically motivated".

In the Stormy Daniels case, Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records.

The New York case is now heading to trial, which is likely to happen in February or March next year. The most likely outcome is a fine.

Trump will be arraigned - that is, answer the charges - at the Wilkie D Ferguson courthouse in Miami this afternoon.

He arrived at the Trump National Doral hotel in the city on Monday and will travel from there to the courthouse.

After leaving court, he will fly to his property in New Jersey to address supporters in a speech.

When Donald Trump left office in January 2021 he was supposed to hand over all presidential records, which are federal property, to the US National Archives.

It is illegal for federal officials, including former presidents, to remove or keep classified documents at an unauthorised location.

Just months after Trump left the White House, the Archives realised records were missing. These included some of Trump's correspondence with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and a letter from Barack Obama,

The agency requested the records, and some were handed over.

But in August 2022, the FBI searched Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and seized about 11,000 documents, some of which were marked as classified or top secret.

And some were marked "TS/SCI" (Top Secret / Sensitive Compartmented Information) - a designation for material that could cause "exceptionally grave" damage to US national security.

Other items included a binder of photos, a handwritten note, unspecified information about the president of France, and a clemency letter written on behalf of long-time Trump ally Roger Stone.

Donald Trump is charged with keeping classified documents after leaving the White House which allegedly contained - among other things - nuclear secrets and military plans.

The 37-count indictment , externalwas released last week.

• The documents allegedly included information about US nuclear programmes, defence and weapons capabilities of the US and other countries, and potential vulnerabilities of the US and its allies to military attack

• Trump is accused of keeping the files at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, and photos from the investigation show stacks of boxes stashed in a ballroom and a shower

• He is also alleged to have lied to investigators and obstructed the investigation

• Trump has denied any wrongdoing, saying he is “innocent” and will “fight this out”

• Legal experts say the charges against Trump could lead to substantial prison time - if he is convicted

Image source, US Justice Department via Reuters

Owen Amos
In London

Image source, Getty Images

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of Donald Trump's court appearance in Miami, as he is accused of keeping classified documents after leaving the White House.

He's expected to be arrainged - that is, to appear in court to answer the 37 charges - at 15:00 in Florida (20:00 BST).

We're running our page from London this morning, before soon handing over to colleagues in Washington DC and Florida.

Stay with us for all the latest news, footage, reaction, and analysis.