Donald Trump Thought He Beat the Rap. Then the Indictment Hit

Donald Trump’s indictment followed a head-spinning two weeks during which the former president predicted his own arrest but, almost as quickly, suggested that he’d beat the rap.

When it did come on Thursday, the indictment by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office caught Trump and his circle of advisers off-guard, according to a person familiar with the matter. Some had even planned spring-break trips with their families in the coming weeks that had to be rapidly canceled.

Trump exits the stage after speaking at a campaign event in Waco, Texas, on March 25.

Photographer: Sergio Flores/Bloomberg

“I think they’ve already dropped the case. From what I understand, I think it’s been dropped,” Trump told reporters on ...