New York City's Rikers Island is prepared for Donald Trump if he is sent to prison for a gag order violation during his criminal trial in Manhattan, according to Mayor Eric Adams.
On Tuesday, Adams said the notorious New York prison and the city's Department of Correction are set to receive the former president if he is jailed for violating the gag order again.
"They're professionals," Adams said, according to a post by NBC News' Katherine Doyle on X (formerly Twitter). "They'll be ready."
A department spokesperson told Newsweek that "the Department of Correction will find appropriate housing if he is sent to Rikers Island." Newsweek reached out to Adams' press office via email for comment.
Adams' comments came shortly after Trump was warned of prison time by New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan during the Manhattan criminal trial he is overseeing. Trump was indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on charges of falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment made by Michael Cohen, his lawyer at the time, to former adult film actress Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election.
In April 2023, Bragg said Trump "fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal crimes that hid damaging information—including a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels—from the public during the 2016 presidential campaign." Trump, who faces 34 felony counts in the case, has denied any wrongdoing as well as Daniels' allegation that they'd had an affair. He also says the case is politically motivated.
Last week, Trump was found in violation of a gag order imposed on him in the case, which bars him from speaking about many of the individuals involved in the trial. The former president was fined $9,000 for nine different gag order violations, and Merchan said Trump violated the order a 10th time this week.
Following the latest violation, Merchan warned Trump of possible jail time for continued violations of the gag order.
"I do not want to impose a jail sanction and have done everything I can to avoid doing so. But I will if necessary," Merchan said.
Since the trial began, Trump has criticized the gag order. In response to Merchan's warning this week, he said, "Frankly...our Constitution is much more important than jail. It's not even close. I'll do that sacrifice any day."
Newsweek reached out to Trump's spokesperson via email for comment.
Politico reported on Monday that Trump sent out a campaign fundraising email this week that said: "The liberal judge in New York just threatened to THROW ME IN JAIL."
The email added: "They want me in HANDCUFFS," according to Politico.
If Trump is sent to prison, the Secret Service would likely accompany him, according to The New York Times.
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Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more
