( Page Six )
There’s no such thing as bad publicity when you’re Donald Trump.
Spies tell Page Six that The Donald is in “high spirits” in advance of his possible arrest and indictment this week.
Sources even say Trump wants his potential arrest to be a high-profile affair for maximum exposure.
A source said of Trump’s team, “They are very pumped about this … The Manhattan DA, NYPD and even the Department of Justice were trying to work out a quiet handover coordinated with the Secret Service — and Trump was having none of that. If an indictment and arrest happens, he wants it to be public.”
We are even told that Trump’s people are planning to “try and film and document it with their own camera crew, they want a shot of him in cuffs and will release the mugshot. They are loving this stuff.”
Meanwhile, spies tell Page Six that Trump is at his private Palm Beach, Fla., fiefdom, where he’s “reveling in being back in the news and the center of attention. He thinks this ‘trumped-up charge’ will help him with his base.”
The political insider further told us Trump and his team are “nervous” about likely primary rival Gov. Ron De Santis‘ election prospects, and think the arrest would bolster Trump’s campaign because they think “this will show that the Dems are out to persecute Trump.”
The source also told us, “Trump will be getting all the media. He will argue he is the leader of the party and has the best shot against [President] Biden, which is why he is being attacked … His people are licking their chops, they are pumped. Next thing he’ll be doing is a rally.”
The Post previously reported that sources said the NYPD and Secret Service are prepping for Trump’s possible indictment in Manhattan, after the ex-president announced he expected to be arrested.
Trump’s potential arrest and indictment stems from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s ongoing probe into alleged hush money that was paid to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Daniels claims she had an affair with Trump in 2006, which he denies.
Either way, the real estate magnate has called for protests over his potential legal troubles.
“Trump appears in high spirits and exudes positive energy,” says a source of the scene so far at Mar-a-Lago. “He’s busy rallying the members to his side both on the golf course and in the club’s dining room and walkways … Wherever he appears, it’s a mini-campaign rally with people greeting him, surrounding him, voicing their support.”
The source added, “Trump gives the thumbs up to everyone who calls out his name. He shakes every hand and the Mar-a-Lago crowd is super supportive of him. No one has ever heard anyone boo or turn their back or refuse his handshake.”
The vibe could well be different outside the comfy confines of the golf club, however.
Reps for Trump did not immediately get back to us.