Donald Trump warns of ‘death and destruction’ if he is indicted over Stormy Daniels hush-money case

Donald Trump has warned of “potential death and destruction” if he is charged by New York prosecutors in a hush-money case.

The post on Truth Social shortly after midnight on Friday was the former president’s most explicit allusion yet to violence that could follow an indictment stemming from an investigation led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whom Mr Trump called a “degenerate psychopath”.

Mr Trump suggested in a separate post that there could be "years of hatred, chaos, and turmoil" if he is arrested as part of an investigation into alleged payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the lead up to the 2016 election.

A grand jury in New York is expected to reconvene next week to decide whether to bring an indictment.

Mr Trump had called for supporters to take to the streets in protest nearly a week ago, although few have heeded his call.

Distrustful that protests might be “traps” set by officials after the wave of arrests following the January 6, 2021 riots on the US Capitol, and without a fixed date or event to rally around, the vast majority of pro-Trump groups seemed to be wavering online between apathy and confusion.

Democrat Mr Bragg previously emailed his employees to state that authorities will not "tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York" following Mr Trump's protest call.

On Thursday, the district attorney urged Republicans rallying behind Mr Trump to let his office carry out its work.

Three top Republican Party members had requested Mr Bragg provide them with communications, documents and testimony about his inquiry, which is expected to result in criminal charges against Mr Trump.

Mr Bragg called the move an “unprecedented” intrusion into New York’s sovereignty.

In a further social media post on Thursday, the 76-year-old former president accused Mr Bragg of being a "Soros backed animal" - an often cited line of attack from Republicans about the Jewish billionaire philanthropist George Soros, which critics argue is an antisemitic dog whistle.

Mr Trump shared a picture of him holding a baseball bat next to Mr Bragg's head, calling him "human scum".

Steel barriers were set up outside the Manhattan Criminal Court and Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue as New York remained on high alert for unrest after Mr Trump called for protests.

Mr Trump was previously banned from Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites for inciting violence over the January 6 riots.

Former US prosecutor Glenn Kirschner speculated that a judge could interpret Mr Trump's posts as an attempt to incite a crowd to riot, which could see him denied bail if he is indeed indicted and charged.