Donald Trump's Miserable Birthday Present

On Wednesday, Donald Trump will turn 77. For a man who his former, and late, wife Ivana once said "hates his birthdays," this year's may come as an even more dour affair than previously.

The former president will mark his birthday a day after he is due to be arraigned at 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday in Miami, Florida, on federal charges relating to allegations of mishandling classified documents, which he denies.

It was on Thursday, June 8, that Trump was informed that a federal grand jury was indicting him on a total of 37 counts, including 31 counts of wilful retention of national defense information, after the FBI uncovered classified documents allegedly kept from his presidency at his Mar-a-Lago, Florida, residence.

He is also facing another indictment in Manhattan, New York, over allegations of hush-money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was allegedly paid $130,000 by Trump's then-personal attorney Michael Cohen to stay quiet about an alleged affair with Trump. Cohen has previously said he was reimbursed by Trump, but the former president has, again, denied any wrongdoing.

The two cases have made Trump the first former commander-in-chief to not only face state-level criminal charges but also a federal indictment.

In both cases, he has come out guns blazing, writing in various posts on his Truth social media platform that they were "fake" and the product of a politically motivated "witch hunt."

The 45th U.S. president—who hopes to become the 47th in 2024—does have some reasons to be cheerful: Recent polling of an already crowded Republican primary race shows Trump pulling ahead of his rivals for the GOP nomination, including his main opponent, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

In the latest YouGov poll of 586 likely voters, conducted on behalf of CBS News between June 7-10, gave Trump 61 percent support to DeSantis' 23 percent. All other candidates attracted less than 5 percent.

Previous recent surveys by Morning Consult and TIPP Insights have put the former president on a more modest 56 and 55 percent respectively, but an aggregate tracker by FiveThirtyEight shows his average support among Republican voters is only getting stronger—even as he faces the criminal cases against him.

While various archive news reports have indicated Trump was fond of extravagant, sometimes themed, birthday parties in his younger years—including star-studded Atlantic City casino bashes in his forties, a Tarzan-themed 48th and a 50th at Trump Tower featuring a rendition of "Happy Birthday" sung by Eartha Kitt—the last three years he has retreated to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

Ahead of his 76th birthday last year, a source close to Trump told People magazine that his celebrations would likely include a round of golf and a "low-key dinner at the club" with his family, adding: "He doesn't go all out for his birthday. He is pretty routine so don't look for fireworks."

If Trump wins in 2024, he would be 78 when sworn into office—the same age Biden was when he was inaugurated in 2021.

While questions have been raised of the current president's age and mental acuity—which Biden has brushed off—the source told People that Trump "keeps to himself" thoughts about his advancing years, adding: "As long as he is healthy, he will remain active in Republican politics, and his age will be insignificant."

Newsweek approached Trump's campaign via email for comment on Tuesday.