With guesswork on whether Donald Trump will be arrested or not under way, a US newspaper has turned to the drama's historic context, recalling that no American president or former POTUS “has ever been indicted.”
On the other hand, the newspaper added, “a sitting [US] president was arrested once.”
The incident dates back to 1872, when then-US President Ulysses S. Grant was arrested in Washington for “speeding in his horse-drawn carriage.” A trial was held next day, with the 18th president being released after he was slapped with “heavy fine,” according to the newspaper.
Touching upon Trump's claims about his imminent arrest, the news outlet reported that this “has sparked political maneuvering and a debate about the implications of indicting an ex-president.”
The Ulysses S. Grant Memorial is pictured with the US Capitol building in the background on February 1, 2020 in Washington, DC
© AFP 2023 / DANIEL SLIM
The report comes after a British media outlet argued that Trump allegedly told his advisers that he is ready to turn his potential court appearance into a “spectacle” with his hands cuffed behind his back in symbolic defiance of a prosecution against him.
In Trump’s view, such a move would allow him to provide a booster for his 2024 presidential campaign and not look weak in case he chooses to make his first court appearance via video, according to the report.
This was preceded by the 45th president sharing on his social media platform, Truth Social, last week that he was to be arrested on March 21. "Protest, take our nation back!", Trump wrote.
His remarks are related to alleged hush money payments to US adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016 in a bid to prevent her from disclosing their 2006 sexual affair. Trump has dismissed his connection to Daniels as well as any other felony on his part. He also refused to testify before the jury.