Strict security measures — and plenty of headaches — are expected as the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president gets underway in Manhattan.
Manhattan’s Criminal Courts Building, at 100 Centre Street, is short on charm: circled in scaffolding, lit like an aging cafeteria and, in recent months, neighbor to a colossal pile of rubble, the remains of the Manhattan Detention Complex, which is being demolished.
Yet come Monday, it will be the pulsing center of a swirling mass of security measures, and likely headaches, as the first criminal trial of Donald J. Trump kicks off on its 15th floor.
Court and law enforcement personnel have been tight-lipped about the exact steps they are taking, but a court lawyer said at a hearing this week that preparations had been underway for months.
They will have plenty to contend with. Right-wing supporters of the former president have already announced plans to protest near the courthouse on Monday as jury selection begins, and cable news networks have promised wall-to-wall coverage of the case.
Security for Mr. Trump, who is being tried on charges that he falsified business records to cover up a hush-money payment to a porn star ahead of the 2016 election, will undoubtedly be high. Strict protective measures will also be in place for Alvin L. Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney who brought the case, and Juan M. Merchan, the judge who is trying it.
Though Mr. Trump is required to be in court every day it is in session, he can ask the judge and prosecutors to excuse him if he wishes to be absent.
On the other hand, the former president also suggested on Friday that he would testify in the case, telling reporters that he would “tell the truth” and that prosecutors “have no case.” (Then again, Mr. Trump has promised to testify in previous cases only to waver and back out.)
But when Mr. Trump is at 100 Centre, his presence — and the media frenzy that surrounds it — could snarl traffic throughout Lower Manhattan, as well as anywhere his motorcade travels, including his route to court from his Midtown home at Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue.
Protesters and counterprotesters could fill the streets and clog public plazas around 100 Centre, as police officers look to prevent clashes. Long lines for security and lunchtime curiosity-seekers outside the building will likely test the patience of the most sanguine court workers.
And Mr. Trump, who is again the presumptive Republican nominee for president, is also likely to spend time in campaign mode at 40 Wall Street, his office tower south of the courthouse, potentially adding even more challenges to keeping things moving in Manhattan.
