An inflatable baby Trump float in front of the courthouse as crowds awaited his arrival.

Tyrone Turner / DCist/WAMU

Federal and local law enforcement agencies — and plenty of journalists — are getting ready for the arrival of former president and three-time criminal indictee Donald Trump, who is expected to appear in federal court Thursday afternoon.

Already indicted twice (once for falsifying business records to pay off adult film actor Stormy Daniels, and once for illegally holding classified documents), Trump is now facing four federal charges for his attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and the role he played in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. His arraignment is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse in downtown D.C.

Unsurprisingly, Trump’s homecoming to the District has sparked a media frenzy starting as early as Wednesday evening as reporters queued up with tents and cameras. According to the D.C. police, road closures will be made on a “rolling” basis throughout the day in coordination with federal agencies like the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Capitol Police, U.S. Park Police, and the Secret Service. An MPD spokesperson told DCist/WAMU Thursday morning that updates would be available on the D.C. Police Traffic Twitter page. Around 2 p.m. on Thursday, Constitution Avenue remained open but police had closed 3rd Street in front of the courthouse.

A barrier to control pedestrian crowds and protect judges has been erected around the courthouse by the Marshals Service, according to the Washington Post. The U.S. Capitol Police did not immediately return DCist/WAMU’s call about any further road closures or fencing that may be erected downtown (which D.C. residents are all too familiar with.)

By mid-afternoon on Thursday, a crowd of hundreds of journalists and around a hundred members of the public had gathered in front of the courthouse. The demonstrators were made up of passing tourists, supporters draped in Trump flags, and anti-Trump protesters. While loud, the scene remained relatively calm; police were not separating the two factions

Dominic Santana, a Miamian, showed up on Thursday in a striped suit with a ball-and-chain, and a sign that read “lock him up.”

“He has blood on his hands and he can’t get away with it anymore,” Santana said. “Remember him saying ‘lock her up, lock her up’? Well, now it’s his turn.”

The courthouse sits on Constitution Avenue between 6th Street NW and 3rd Street NW, and is where hundreds of people arrested for crimes committed on Jan. 6 have appeared. As of July 6, 1,069 (and now, 1,070) people have been charged for their involvement in the insurrection, according to the U.S. Attorney for D.C.’s office; nearly 600 have entered guilty pleas.

Aside from Thursday’s crowds, life in D.C. on Wednesday and Thursday seemingly continued unphased. On Wednesday, U.S. Capitol Police responded to reports of an active shooter at the Hart Senate Office Building, but after searching senate buildings, the scene was cleared and no shooting was found to have taken place. USCP Chief Tom Manger suspected it may have been a “bogus call,” and told reporters USCP was prepared for Thursday’s arraignment.

Tyrone Turner contributed reporting. 

Filed Under: d.c., jan 6, politics, trump, trump indictment,