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No protests over Trump arrest expected in San Antonio, says Bexar County GOP chair

Supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump outside his Mar-a-Lago resort on Monday, March 20, 2023.
Ricardo Arduengo
/
Reuters
Supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump outside his Mar-a-Lago resort on Monday, March 20, 2023.

The chairman of the Bexar County Republican Party said he would be "shocked" to see any protests in San Antonio if former President Donald Trump is arrested in connection with a New York federal prosecutor's investigation into hush money payments to an adult film star.

Jeff McManus said Trump's nationwide popularity has faded, and his local popularity will depend on who else is running.

"I would guess that in the Republican Party [Trump’s popularity is] easily somewhere around the 50% range," he said.

McManus also expressed his displeasure with the prosecution. He called it a "political prosecution" like those of former presidents in "third world countries."

The San Antonio Police Department said in a statement to TPR that it had also not seen any indication of planned protests in the city or region. "We are continuing to watch and will do so for the entire week," the statement explained.

Bexar County GOP Chair Jeff McManus
Courtesy Bexar County GOP
Bexar County GOP Chair Jeff McManus

Trump, who is running for office in 2024 as a Republican, claimed in a social media post over the weekend that he would be arrested on Tuesday. He made the claim on his own, low-traffic source media platform, citing "ILLEGAL LEAKS" and calling on his followers to "PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!"

Trump's social media post came as a New York prosecutor considers charging him in connection with hush money paid to Stephanie Clifford, an adult film actress also known as Stormy Daniels, in 2016.

However, there has been no official announcement of any plans for an indictment or arrest. On Monday, NPR reported that the "Manhattan District Attorney's Office declined to comment ... on whether it will soon be pursuing an arrest warrant for Trump."

Trump is at the center of several investigations. The hush money case is the longest-running of those cases.

If Trump's prediction comes true, he would be the first former president to be indicted in U.S. history.

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