CNN reports the charges are not publicly known at this time, and Trump will likely be arraigned in court next week, according to his defence attorney, Joe Tacopina. The outlet reports that he faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg confirmed the indictment in a statement.
"This evening we contacted Mr. Trump's attorney to coordinate his surrender to the Manhattan D.A.'s Office for arraignment on a Supreme Court indictment, which remains under seal," read a statement from Bragg.
Trump, who lives in Florida, is expected to travel to New York City for his arrest, which is expected on Tuesday, CNN reports.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and claims that he's a victim of a political witch hunt — a defence he's often used for other scandals in the past.
On Thursday, the former president released a statement in response to the indictment saying the decision was "political persecution and election interference at the highest level in history," as reported by CNN.
"I believe this Witch-Hunt will backfire massively on Joe Biden," the former president continued.
"The American people realize exactly what the Radical Left Democrats are doing here. Everyone can see it. So our Movement, and our Party – united and strong – will first defeat Alvin Bragg, and then we will defeat Joe Biden, and we are going to throw every last one of these Crooked Democrats out of office so we can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
The charges date back to 2016, when Trump's lawyer allegedly paid porn star Stormy Daniels to remain quiet about an affair they had.
Daniels ultimately did not stay quiet about the whole thing and eventually came out with plenty of details about it, including the 2018 claim that Trump's penis looks like Toad, the "mushroom character in Mario Kart."
She came back for more on Thursday following the news of Trump's indictment and thanked everyone for their support and love.
"I have so many messages coming in that I can't respond...also don't want to spill my champagne," she wrote on Twitter. "#TeamStormy merch/autograph orders are pouring in, too! Thank you for that as well but allow a few extra days for shipment."
This case has been swirling around Trump for years, and now it'll become a factor in his efforts to win the Republican presidential nomination and challenge for the White House again in 2024.
However, it's not the only legal trouble he faces. He's being investigated for failing to turn over classified documents that were found at his Mar-A-Lago estate after his presidency ended. Trump is also being investigated in Georgia for alleged election interference after he urged a top official on a call to "find" the votes he needed to win the state in the 2020 election.
It's unclear if Trump will face criminal charges in those other cases, but the New York charges are still historic because no other sitting or former U.S. president has ever been charged with a crime.
AP News reported earlier this month that Trump saw the charges coming and urged his supporters to protest ahead of the announcement. That prompted police in several U.S. cities to brace for potential violence.
Trump famously summoned his supporters to the U.S. Capitol and then urged them to "fight like hell" on January 6, 2021, after he lost the presidential election to Joe Biden. Trump's supporters then stormed the U.S. Capitol and delayed certification of Biden's election win in a riot that left five people dead.
More than 1,000 people were later charged with various crimes related to that incident. Trump was also impeached for a second time over that riot, although the U.S. Senate didn't get enough votes to remove him from office.
A bipartisan House committee has recommended that Trump face criminal charges for his role in the riot, although no charges have been filed to date.
That makes three other potential cases where Trump could face charges, in addition to the New York investigation.
Trump's Manhattan court date has not yet been set.
