Fox News host says NYC could become a ‘zoo’ if Trump is arrested on Tuesday

A Fox News host has speculated that the potential arrest of Donald Trump on Tuesday could trigger civil unrest and turn New York City into a ‘zoo’.

The comments came during host Neil Cavuto’s Saturday show, in which UC Berkley law professor John Yoo appeared as a guest.

‘I’m just wondering where this goes and what Tuesday looks like,’ Cavuto told Yoo.

‘I can imagine it’s going to be like a zoo out there. You’re going to have a lot of people who are both supporters of his, and those who are hoping he does go to the clink. It could get very messy,’ he said.

The fear of violence and confrontation in the city comes after Trump encouraged people to ‘protest’ in response to his rumored arrest in Manhattan on Tuesday.

Fox News host Neil Cavuto (pictured) said  the potential arrest of Donald Trump on Tuesday could trigger civil unrest and turn New York City into a ‘zoo’

The fear of violence and confrontation in the city comes after Trump encouraged people to ‘protest’ in response to his rumored arrest in Manhattan on Tuesday. He is pictured watching the NCAA Wrestling Championships on Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, hours after the post

On Saturday Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that the Manhattan DA was arranging to arrest him over payments he allegedly made to Stormy Daniels, with whom he has been accused of having affair.

Trump denies the affair and knowledge of the payments.

On Saturday he posted on his social media platform to claim the probe was ‘corrupt and highly political’ and called the alleged hush money payment an ‘old and fully debunked fairy-tale.’ 

‘PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!’ he declared on Saturday morning.

Yoo suggested that downtown Manhattan, unlike in other US cities, does not have open spaces that are conducive to large gatherings and demonstrations. 

‘I think it is going to be a zoo. First of all, New York City, it’s not like Washington D.C. where you have these broad plazas for public displays,’ he said.

‘It could be very dangerous. The police and the Secret Service are going to have a really hard job maintaining crowd control and making sure nothing like January 6 happens,’ Yoo said. 

Yoo went on to say that it would be in Trump’s interests that any demonstrations that could arise remain civil and peaceful. 

‘In fact it’s in President Trump’s own interest to make sure that the protests don’t get out of hand,’ Yoo said.

‘He should not want there to be violence, he should not want people to be harmed just because he’s being arrested,’ he added.

UC Berkley law professor John Yoo told Cavuto he was concerned that the layout of New York City streets is not suited to gatherings and demonstrations

Former President Trump congratulates Princeton wrestler Pat Glory on Saturday after he won the NCAA Wrestling Championship at the 125 lb class

‘PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!’ Trump declared in a Truth Social post on Saturday morning 

If Trump’s claims about an imminent arrest are true, it would make him the first former president ever to face criminal charges. His post came hours after it was claimed Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was planning on indicting Trump next week. 

A spokesman for Trump said that he is ‘rightfully highlighting his innocence and the weaponization of our injustice system’.

Kevin McCarthy, the Speaker of the House, said: ‘Here we go again — an outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues political vengeance against President Trump.

‘I’m directing relevant committees to immediately investigate if federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically motivated prosecutions.’

Last week the former president and 2024 hopeful was invited to testify before a Manhattan grand jury, with his long-time fixer and former lawyer Michael Cohen testifying on Monday. 

Cohen served jail time after pleading guilty in two criminal cases, one of which included using campaign finances in relation to Daniels and another woman who allegedly had an affair with Trump.

He said he had been acting at his command and that the payoffs were supposed to keep the affair stories out of public knowledge before the 2016 election. Trump has admitted reimbursing Cohen

Daniels met with prosecutors on Wednesday to answer further questions in the case and her lawyer, Clark Brewster, said she would also make herself available as a witness in future, if required.

Trump’s lawyer said the former president continues to deny the substance of the allegations of a sexual relationship with Daniels (pictured with Trump), calling the $130,000 a ‘nuisance payment’ that wealthy or famous people sometimes pay to make a distracting situation disappear

Daniels met with prosecutors on Wednesday to answer further questions in the case and tweeted her thanks to her attorney for ‘helping me in our continuing fight for truth and justice’

Cohen has also indicated he’s given the grand jury damning testimony that implicates Trump. He testified for three hours on Monday. 

Speaking beforehand, he said: ‘This is all about accountability. He needs to be held accountable for his dirty deeds.’

Speculation that charges were imminent also increased when Bragg told Trump’s team that the former president could testify before the grand jury if he so chose -a notification usually at the end of a process that could mean an indictment is near.

Legal experts have said Trump could face one of two charges over the payments – but also concede that both would be difficult to prove.

He could be charged with falsifying business records if it’s alleged Trump knew his retainer agreement with Cohen was a sham to facilitate the payments. That would be a misdemeanor under New York law unless prosecutors prove records were falsified to conceal another crime, which would make it a felony.

That other crime could be that the payments violated state election law because the intention of the alleged pay off was to benefit his campaign. 

Trump could face up to four years in prison on those charges. 

But experts say the former president could still be reelected if he’s charged or even convicted over the issue. Trump has already maintained he ‘wouldn’t even think about leaving’ the race if he’s charged.

The US Constitution does not say a candidate cannot run if they have a criminal record. The conditions are simply that a candidate is a natural born citizen who is at least 35 years old and has been resident of the US for 14 years or longer.

Kate Shaw, a legal analyst and professor at Cardozo School of Law, told ABC: ‘There’s nothing in the Constitution disqualifying individuals convicted of crimes from running for or serving as president.’

Any issues are likely to be practical, rather than legal, Shaw said, such as imprisonment making campaigning ‘difficult if not impossible’.