NEW YORK - The New York City Police Department built a metal barrier around Trump Tower in preparation for possible protests ahead of Donald Trump's expected surrender to prosecutors on Tuesday. A road near the Manhattan Criminal Court was blocked.

The former president is scheduled to be arraigned at the courthouse on Tuesday afternoon following his indictment in a grand jury investigation into hush money payments to a porn star. He is the first former American president to be charged with a crime.

Leading supporters of Trump, including Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene, have said they will travel to New York on Tuesday to protest what he has called a "political witch hunt." Some courtrooms in the downtown courthouse, which houses the criminal and supreme courts, will be closed in advance of Trump's anticipated appearance, a court official said.

There were no credible threats to the city, according to the New York Police Department (NYPD).

According to Site Intelligence Group, which tracks online extremism, some social media users have demanded the execution of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and the jury that found Donald Trump guilty.

On January 6, 2021, Trump's supporters stormed the US Capitol building after he falsely claimed to have won the previous election, setting off a deadly riot.

Even after Trump called for them, many Trump supporters have expressed reluctance about participating in public demonstrations online out of fear of being detained.

The NYPD released a statement saying, "(The) department remains ready to respond as needed and will ensure everyone can peacefully exercise their rights,"

According to a Trump adviser, Trump will take a flight from Florida to New York on Monday, spend the night at Trump Tower, and then arrive at the courthouse early on Tuesday.

It is not yet known whether the former president's appearance would attract a sizable number of protesters, even though the spectacle of the former president being charged with a crime was certain to garner massive media attention. Despite being a native of New York, Trump received only 23% of the vote in the city in 2020 and 18% in 2016.

Greene, one of Trump's most ardent supporters in Congress, says she will attend the demonstration that the New York Young Republican Club says it is planning in a park across the street from the courthouse.

Greene asserted on Twitter that she would "protesting is a constitutional right," and that she would "protest this unprecedented abuse of our justice system and election interference." She declared that she detested anyone who advocates or engages in violent acts. The grand jury heard testimony about a $130,000 payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the final weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign before voting to indict Trump.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has claimed she was paid to remain silent about an affair she had with Trump in 2006. Trump disputes the secret relationship.

A court representative informed the media that courtrooms on the courthouse's upper floors would close at 1 p.m., just before Trump's anticipated 2:15 p.m. arraignment.

A building across from the courthouse would serve as the adjournment location for many court cases, the official added.