Donald Trump will be the first president to be arrested since 19th century leader Ulysees S. Grant

Donald Trump becomes the first US president since Ulysses S Grant to be arrested after a Manhattan grand jury voted Thursday to indict him on charges related to a porn star hush money payment Stormy Daniels.

The indictment comes as a bombshell after the 45th president announced he expected to be arrested by New York authorities earlier this month after his lawyers paid Daniels a total of $130,000 to remain silent about their alleged affair.

Trump, 76, has been dogged by legal scandals in recent years, but has never before been arrested in connection with any crime.

He will be the first president to be handcuffed since 19th-century leader Ulysses S. Grant was arrested for speeding his horse and buggy. The 18th President was apprehended by a police officer in 1876, with Officer William West telling him, “Duty is my duty, sir, and I shall have to arrest you.”

A mother and child were reportedly injured by a joyrider, and police discovered that the president was one of the reckless riders in the area.

Grant was reportedly a “notorious speed demon” who had previously been warned about his speed – claiming he was unaware he was going too fast.

Although his buggy did not have a speedometer, it was the second time he had been caught racing the roads in the capital and ended up paying a $20 fine to walk free.

Despite the indictment announcement Thursday, Trump’s arrest in connection with the payments would not prevent him from running for president and taking back command of the White House.

The only rules limiting who can run for the top job are that they are born citizens of the US and are over the age of 35.

President Richard Nixon was also about to be arrested amid the infamous Watergate scandal after conspiring to cover up his administration’s involvement in the 1972 break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, DC.

The Supreme Court ruled that the recordings made on a tape system in the Oval office should be given to government investigators, with the House charging Nixon with obstruction of justice, abuse of power and contempt of Congress in 1973.

Refusing to be impeached, he became the first president to resign in August 1974, leading to nearly 50 people being convicted of various illegal activities related to the conspiracy.

Nixon’s Vice President Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon – citing national unity – meaning Congress lost the chance to hold him accountable.

However, after the move, Congress passed the Presidential Records Act, which dictated how presidents and vice presidents should manage their records.

It means that after one or two terms, the archivist of the United States takes ownership of the presidential records and decides whether a president is allowed to withhold documents.

Trump also became the first president to have the FBI raid his home after raiding Mar-a-Lago over classified files the former president allegedly hid in his Florida loophole.

The archivist has negotiated the return of the classified documents — with Trump facing the possibility of being disqualified from holding public office if he is found to have “intentionally and unlawfully concealed or removed” those documents.

A Trump spokesman said he is “justifiably emphasizing his innocence and the weaponization of our injustice system.”

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said, “Here we go again — an outrageous abuse of power by a radical prosecutor who is running violent criminals as he pursues political revenge against President Trump.

“I am instructing relevant committees to immediately investigate whether federal funds are being used to undermine our democracy by disrupting elections with politically motivated prosecutions.”

Earlier this month, the former president and 2024 hopeful was invited to testify before a grand jury in Manhattan, with his longtime fixer and former attorney Michael Cohen testifying Monday.

Cohen was in jail after pleading guilty to two criminal charges, including the use of campaign finance related to Daniels and another woman who allegedly had an affair with Trump.

He said he had acted on his orders and that the payouts were intended to keep the affair stories out of public knowledge before the 2016 election. Trump has admitted that he paid back Cohen.

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

Cohen has also indicated that he has provided the grand jury with damning testimony implicating Trump. He testified for three hours.