When Donald J. Trump was whisked from his Florida home in a motorcade past cheering supporters Monday to fly to New York for his impeachment, Mayor Eric Adams held a press conference at City Hall in a very different vein.
Mr Adams warned Mr Trump's supporters – especially Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene – to watch out for themselves at protests and rallies.
“While we have no specific threats, people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is known for spreading misinformation and hate speech, she said are coming to town. When you are in town, be on your best behavior,” said Mr. Adams.
In a midday press conference at City Hall, the mayor chose Ms. Greene, a conservative Republican from Georgia and a staunch Trump supporter who criticized the decision to impeach Trump. He had advertised a demonstration planned for Tuesday with Jack Posobiec, an internet conspiracy theorist, and Graham Allen, a far-right commentator.
While mayor and Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said authorities had received no specific threats, the city had been preparing itself for protests and plans to close roads and blockade demonstrators. All uniformed officers have been alerted.
“While there may be some troublemakers thinking about coming to our town tomorrow, our message is clear and simple: Get in control,” Adams said. “New York is our home and not a place for your misplaced anger.”
Mr Trump, the first American president to be charged with a crime, is expected to spend the night at Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue before heading to Lower Manhattan on Tuesday to turn himself in at the Manhattan district attorney's office and then stand trial at the Manhattan Criminal Court Building.
Mr Adams assured New Yorkers that the Police Department is equipped to handle Mr Trump's two day visit no matter what. He appealed to residents to carry out their usual routine.
“New York City is always ready,” he said.
As Trump's motorcade headed for the airport in Florida, cheering supporters lined the streets waving American flags and Trump 2024. At La Guardia Airport in New York, reporters gathered to observe the former president at the other end of his journey.
In Midtown, at least 100 reporters, photographers and camera crews crammed into a police barricaded press cage near Trump Tower to await Trump's arrival. Streams of New Yorkers and tourists crowded along the sidewalks to gawk and take pictures.
Everyone seemed to have an opinion, including Ariel Kohane, 51, who was one of more than a dozen protesters planted behind two large pro-Trump banners. Mr Kohane, of Manhattan, said he appeared to “voice my anger at what some Democrats even call political persecution.”
“This has nothing to do with law and order,” he said. “It's about stopping him running and winning in 2024.”
Dion Cini, 54, appeared on the corner of East 56th Street and Fifth Avenue wearing a red “Make America Great Again” baseball cap and an “Ultra Extreme MAGA” T-shirt.
“Give me freedom or give me death,” he shouted.
For some people just trying to get through their day, the distraction fanned the flames of anti-Trump.
“Gosh, that makes you hate this guy even more,” said Nick Jones, 48, of Minneapolis, as he struggled through the narrow space on the sidewalk.
Chelsea Rose Marcius, Nate Schweber and Michael D. Regan contributed reporting.