Former President Donald Trump has been advised to leave New York City ahead of an impending verdict in his criminal trial. Newsmax host Todd Starnes took to social media to urge Trump to flee the city immediately, stating, “President Trump needs to get out of New York City RIGHT NOW! Fly back to Mar-a-Lago or another state that will provide him safe harbor.”
Trump is facing allegations of covering up hush money payments to former pornstar Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election through his then “fixer” Michael Cohen. The former president has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and is currently standing trial in Manhattan.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has accused Trump of fraudulently falsifying New York business records to conceal crimes, including a $130,000 hush money payment to Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Despite the charges against him, Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in the case and has criticized the New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan. He has called the trial “rigged” and blamed Merchan for the charges against him.
As the jury began deliberations, they sent two notes to the judge requesting to rehear testimonies from key witnesses and review Merchan’s instructions. The judge emphasized to the jurors that it was their responsibility to judge the evidence presented.
Former White House lawyer Ty Cobb predicted a verdict by Friday afternoon, expecting a guilty verdict due to the jury instructions favored by the prosecution. The outcome of Trump’s trial remains uncertain as the deliberations continue.