'MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!': Donald Trump reacts to indictment

Former US president Donald Trump has been charged by a grand jury, his attorney Susan Necheles and the Manhattan District Attorney said on Thursday.

For the first time, a US president has been charged with a crime. No information about the precise charge or charges has been released. An indictment does not imply guilt.

Trump is reportedly planning to turn himself in next week, according to his legal team.

Trump indictment reaction

In a statement on Thursday, the former president called it "Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history." His lawyers said in a statement "we will vigorously fight this."

The former president is under investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for allegedly fabricating financial documents in relation to a "hush money" payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Insisting on his innocence, Trump has said he never had a romantic relationship with Daniels.

Trump predicted last week that he would be detained by Alvin Bragg, the district attorney for Manhattan, and he urged his fans to "resist, take our nation back" after his detention. Trump maintained his denial of any link to Daniels at a rally in Waco, Texas, over the weekend, and he indicated the issue had been dismissed.

"Even before I was sworn in as your President of the United States, the Radical Left Democrats - the enemy of the hard-working men and women of this Country - have been engaged in a Witch-Hunt to destroy the Make America Great Again movement," Trump said on Truth Social.

He said that the Democrats had "lied, cheated, and stolen" to get to Trump but this is them doing the "unthinkable".

"Indicting a completely innocent person in an act of blatant Election Interference," the former president wrote.

He added that Bragg was a "disgrace" who was "hand-picked and funded by George Soros", ending the statement with "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"