Trump asking friends if he should smile for cameras if arrested, reports say

Donald Trump is considering whether he should smile to the news cameras if or when he is arrested for his role in the Stormy Daniels case, according to a report.

The former president also expressed his wish to be handcuffed during a court appearance if he is indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, sources close to him said.

Mr Trump on Saturday announced on Truth Social that he could be arrested, citing “illegal leaks” from the Manhattan district attorney’s office.

A grand jury is expected to bring charges against him for alleged hush money payments made to the adult film star during his 2016 presidential campaign. Mr Trump has denied having an affair with Ms Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford.

Mr Trump was keen to ensure that he had the chance to demonstrate to the public that he was not “slinking away in shame”, a person who had a conversation with Mr Trump but was not authorised to speak publicly, told The New York Times.

The former president has been mulling how he should react to what he described as a “fun experience” and told his friends he did not mind being paraded by authorities in front of the media during his indictment.

He has largely seemed detached from the gravity of his potential legal woes and has been seen cruising around his Palm Beach resort in his golf cart, according to individuals who have spent time with him lately.

On a recent evening, he played the role of DJ at a party, using his personally selected Spotify playlists that feature songs from the Rolling Stones to The Phantom of the Opera, the report said.

“He wants to be defiant – to show the world that if they can try to do this to him, they can do it to anyone,” said one person who had a conversation with Mr Trump over the weekend.

He had been both “invigorated and angered” by the prospect of being arrested and also “entertained a certain amount of magical thinking”, the individual said.

The looming criminal indictment of Mr Trump – making him the first former president to face a criminal charge – has sparked questions about the step-by-step process, including the logistics of actually carrying out the task of bringing Mr Trump to the courtroom.

Several questions are centred around how much of this process will be carried out in person – a time-consuming and complicated endeavour given Mr Trump’s ongoing Secret Service protection and status as an active candidate for the 2024 GOP nomination.

If he surrenders voluntarily, arrangements would be likely made between the Secret Service and law enforcement to avoid the public display of the process.

People close to Mr Trump told the Guardian that he expressed the urge to be handcuffed when he makes an appearance in court to turn his indictment into a “spectacle”.

The former president is “anxious” over special arrangements where he would be made to appear in court by a video link or “skulking” into the courthouse as it might make him look weak, sources told the outlet.

Mr Trump could be indicted by a Manhattan grand jury as soon as this week and he could be charged with falsifying business records, a misdemeanour unless prosecutors can prove it was done to conceal another crime.