Trump heckled by protester chanting ‘lock him up’ ahead of rally

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Donald Trump was greeted by a protester chanting “lock him up” as he arrived in New Hampshire to file for the state’s Republican primary ahead of a rally with supporters in the afternoon.

The ex-president was seen greeting supporters as he stepped out of a black vehicle, surrounded by Secret Service agents. A man was heard chanting “lock him up! Donald Trump!” into a megaphone for a few seconds before journalists were shooed away by handlers with the Trump campaign.

Mr Trump filed his name as a candidate in the 2024 election on Monday ahead of a rally in Derry, New Hampshire, where he is likely to address his ongoing legal battles as well as, potentially, some of his GOP rivals for the nomination. But he has largely depicted the 2024 Republican primary as decided, even going as far as refusing to attend debates with candidates who significantly trail him in the polls.

Mr Trump remains at the centre of nearly a half-dozen active legal investigations, with the potential for more ever-present. The Department of Justice continues to prosecute him for his handling of classified US secrets and the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. He also has now seen two of his 2020 campaign legal attorneys, Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro, plead guilty to crimes in a Georgia probe into the 2020 election — they are expected to testify on behalf of the state against Mr Trump and other co-defendants.

Then there’s the criminal fraud trial in Manhattan, which is set to resume on Tuesday.

Despite (or perhaps thanks to) the above, Mr Trump remains the far-and-away favourite to win the 2024 Republican nomination. His closest rivals, such as Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy, trail him in every state by significant margins.