Federal and local government authorities have increased security precautions before Donald Trump's first federal court appearance on criminal charges in Miami. Authorities are monitoring online threats and the possibility of gatherings of far-right extremists, and more police officers will be on duty. Escalating violent rhetoric in online forums, along with defiant statements from the former president and his political allies, have put law enforcement officials on alert for potential disruptions ahead of Trump’s court appearance, the Washington Post reports. He is facing a 37-count federal indictment.
Authorities were monitoring plans for pro-Trump rallies in Miami, including one outside the federal courthouse on Tuesday purportedly organized by a local chapter of the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, some leaders of which were found guilty of seditious conspiracy in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Trump is scheduled to fly from his golf resort in Bedminster, N.J., to Miami on Monday and is scheduled to make public remarks in Bedminster on Tuesday night. Trump, during a radio interview with longtime adviser Roger Stone on Sunday, repeated his call for protests. Trump’s supporters have at times alluded to potential violence — including Kari Lake, a Republican from Arizona, who has planned a rally in support of Trump at a hotel in Palm Beach, Fla., on Monday night. Local police were monitoring social media calls for rallies centered around Trump’s arrival and court appearance. One police advisory noted a rally Tuesday morning outside the federal courthouse in Miami.
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