(FILES) Former US President and Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump gestures after speaking during the Pray Vote Stand summit at the Omni Shoreham hotel in Washington, DC on September 15, 2023. Former US president Donald Trump said he plans to appear in a New York court on October 2 for the opening of a trial in which he is accused of a years-long scheme to inflate the value of real estate and financial assets. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)