Donald Trump Makes History As First President To Be Arrested After Serving Office

Correction 4/4/23: A previous version of this article stated Trump was the first president in history to be arrested. President Ulysses S. Grant was arrested in 1872, making him the first president to be arrested, not Trump.

Donald Trump, the former president of the United States, was arrested on April 4. 

For the past seven years, Trump has been the subject of a high-profile investigation into allegations of misconduct centered around adult film star Stormy Daniels. In 2016, Trump was accused of having a sexual relationship with the actor, then using his former defense attorney, Michael Cohen, to pay Daniels $130,000 in hush money. According to CNN, Cohen served a total of three years in prison for his involvement in the cover-up scheme. Cohen would go on to testify in front of a Manhattan grand jury about the former president's payout, which has proved vital in Trump's indictment.

On March 30, news of Trump's indictment broke, making him the first-ever U.S. president to face criminal charges. Now, the former president has been arrested in Manhattan, where his arraignment will take place. 

On March 18, Donald Trump attempted to rally his supporters against his arrest by sending out a provocative social media post that claimed his innocence and accused others of corruption. In the post, he predicted his imminent arrest and ended by saying, "Protest, take our nation back!" His call-to-action was met with stark and resounding disapproval, especially from Michael Cohen. In a statement to the New York Post, Cohen said, "Donald is hoping to rile his base, witness another violent clash on his behalf and profit from it by soliciting contributions." By violent clash, Cohen is, of course, referring to the January 6 protests that sparked a nationwide panic. 

With the former president now in custody, it's unclear what this means for his 2024 presidential campaign. Some expect the arrest to make Trump a "martyr" of sorts, potentially boosting morale from his supporters, as Elon Musk shared in a tweet. 

Before heading to the courthouse to be taken into custody, Trump made one last appeal to his supporters on Truth Social, according to CNN: "Seems so SURREAL — WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can't believe this is happening in America. MAGA!"