Donald Trump calls for protests ahead of imminent arrest over hush money paid to porn star

Donald Trump called for supporters to take to the streets ahead of an ‘arrest within days’ over porn star hush money, in a stunning indictment that could see the ex-president in handcuffs.

Picture: AFP

Donald Trump is urging his supporters to protest as he says he expects to be arrested within days over hush money paid to a porn star who claimed she had an affair with him.

The imminent indictment – which would be the first time in US history a president has been hit with criminal charges – sparked Mr Trump’s extraordinary call to arms on Sunday (AEDT).

His former fixer Michael Cohen, who made the $US130,000 ($A194,000) payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in 2016, accused Mr Trump of trying to provoke “another violent clash on his behalf”.

The former president has been in the sights of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who recently offered him the chance to testify in a grand jury probe of the payment made during the 2016 presidential election.

Donald Trump says he expects to be arrested next Tuesday. Picture: Scott Olson (Getty Images)

And law enforcement agencies have been preparing for his indictment – during which he could be handcuffed, photographed and fingerprinted – according to multiple recent reports.

“THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE & FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK,” Mr Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

“PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!”

His lawyer Susan Necheles later said Mr Trump had no direct knowledge of when he would be arrested, and he was reacting to leaks from “a political prosecution” run by Mr Bragg.

The payment to Ms Daniels was made after she alleged she slept with the Republican during his days as a reality TV star – a claim the married Mr Trump has always denied.

Mr Cohen, who has served jail time on federal charges over the hush money, has since become a key witness for Mr Bragg and claims Mr Trump directed him to pay Ms Daniels to keep her quiet.

Stormy Daniels received hush money in 2016 after claiming she had slept the married Mr Trump. Picture: Getty Images

The case against the former president is focused on whether he falsified business records to cover up the payment, which could be upgraded to a felony charge if he was concealing another crime such as a violation of election donation laws.

Mr Trump on Sunday said it was “BASED ON AN OLD & FULLY DEBUNKED (BY NUMEROUS OTHER PROSECUTORS!) FAIRYTALE”.

But his one-time lawyer Alan Dershowitz told Fox News: “If I were him, I would be worried.”

Mr Cohen said Mr Trump’s call to his supporters was “eerily similar to his battle cry prior to the January 6th insurrection”.

“By doing so, Donald is hoping to rile his base, witness another violent clash on his behalf and profit from it by soliciting contributions,” he told the New York Post.

Mr Trump – the leading contender for the Republican nomination for next year’s presidential election – is also facing other investigations over his efforts to remain in power after his 2020 defeat and his handling of classified documents.

Mr Trump’s former fixer Michael Cohen accused him of trying to stoke violent protests. Picture: AFP

Later on Sunday, he sent out a fundraising email to supporters, attacking his enemies who he alleged were trying to “intimidate me with their latest set of witch hunts” so that he would “walk away from our fight to save our country”.

“But here’s my message for them – I WILL NEVER SURRENDER,” Mr Trump said.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy also claimed the investigation was an “outrageous abuse of power” and said he would launch congressional inquiries into whether “federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically motivated prosecutions”.

Originally published as Donald Trump calls for protests ahead of imminent arrest over hush money paid to porn star