WASHINGTON — Despite former President Donald Trump's fiery rhetoric surrounding his indictment by a New York grand jury and an increase in security around the courthouse where he faces arraignment, protests by both supporters and detractors remained relatively calm Tuesday morning.
The crowds grew larger in the moments leading up to Trump's arrival at the courthouse to become the first president or former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges.
Hundreds of onlookers, protesters, journalists and a few politicians swarmed into the confines of Collect Pond Park across the street from the criminal courthouse where Trump was to be arraigned. Trump entered the courthouse surrounded by Secret Service agents and out of view of demonstrators gathered in the park.
The crowd was small, by the standards of New York City protests, which routinely draw thousands. And fears that unruly mobs might force police to shut down swaths of the city proved to be unfounded, with security measures mostly disappearing within a couple of blocks.
But within the park and the surrounding sidewalks, there was plenty of chaos.
Metal barricades separated Trump supporters from anti-Trump protesters, and police stepped in to break up small skirmishes. Journalists, some of whom had taken turns waiting in line all night to reserve a coveted seat in the courtroom, pressed in on notable figures who appeared.
Among those demonstrating in support of the former president were some of his fiercest congressional allies.
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene organized a rally at a park near the courthouse Tuesday, but it was tough to hear her over the crush of reporters and protesters for and against Trump.
Like Greene, embattled Republican New York Rep. George Santos was showing solidarity with Trump, saying, “I want to support the president."
“I think this is unprecedented and it’s a bad day for democracy,” Santos told The Associated Press, suggesting that future prosecutors could target Biden and other presidents with other cases, which “cheapens the judicial system.”
The scenes around Trump Tower and the courthouse where Trump will stand before a judge did not feature major unrest. Police tried to keep apart protesters supporting the former president and those opposing him by confining them to separate sides of a park near the courthouse using metal barricades.
One demonstrator hoisted a sign reading "Trump or death 1776 2024,” but others carried placards showed images of Trump in prison.
Video from the park near the courthouse showed small crowds of people, but many appeared to be passively standing around, without the chants or shouting that often accompany large protests.
New York police said they were ready for large protests by Trump supporters, who share the Republican former president’s belief that the New York grand jury indictment and three additional pending investigations are politically motivated and intended to weaken his bid to retake the White House in 2024.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the city was prepared for any trouble caused by the high-profile case.
“While there may be some rabble rousers thinking of coming to our city tomorrow, our message is clear and simple: Control yourselves,” Mayor Eric Adams said.
On his Truth Social page, Trump posted before the indictment was released that he expected to be arrested, and called on his supporters to rise up and protest when it happened.
The message invoked memories of the failed attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when supporters of then-President Trump tried to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election.
In subsequent messages, Trump complained about what he said was a "KANGAROO COURT" in the heavily Democratic city.
New York’s ability to carry out safe and drama-free courthouse proceedings in a case involving a polarizing ex-president could be an important test case as prosecutors in Atlanta and Washington conduct their own investigations of Trump that could also result in charges. Those investigations concern efforts to undo the 2020 election results as well as the possible mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
