Former US President Donald Trump has been consulting lawyers at Trump Tower in New York City as he prepares to face history-making criminal charges.
He has been under investigation over hush money paid just before the 2016 election to a porn star who says they had sex. He denies wrongdoing.
Extra security measures are in place with the authorities expecting protests outside the Manhattan court on Tuesday.
Mr Trump, 76, is the first ex-US president to face a criminal case.
“WITCH HUNT,” the Republican wrote on his Truth Social platform shortly before travelling from his home in Florida to New York on Monday – a journey which drew blanket coverage across the US news channels.
On Tuesday morning, dozens of police and court officers, as well as Secret Service agents, are expected to escort Mr Trump through the streets of New York to the Lower Manhattan court complex.
The former president is expected first to surrender at the office of Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg.
Once Mr Trump is fingerprinted and processed by officials, he is considered under arrest and in custody. He will then be arraigned in court – meaning the charges will be read out and he will plead.
Mr Trump has been under investigation over a $130,000 (£105,000) wire transfer by his former attorney, Michael Cohen, to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election.
Mr Trump has denied a sexual encounter with Ms Daniels.
Hush money agreements are not illegal, but the Manhattan prosecutor has been investigating whether business records were falsified in relation to the payment.
Media outlets lobbied Judge Juan Merchan to allow cameras inside the court, a motion that was opposed by Mr Trump’s legal team because they said it would “create a circus-like atmosphere at the arraignment”.
But on Monday night, Judge Merchan ruled that some press photographers will be allowed to take pictures for several minutes before the arraignment formally starts.
The former president is expected to be released on bail and to return to his Florida home Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday evening, where he plans to deliver remarks at 20:15 local time.
His trip on Monday lunchtime from Palm Beach to Manhattan was closely watched by millions.
