Trump is losing his ability to control his own fortunes as we enter a New York courtroom

The former president loves to control the narrative – but the legal process makes that difficult

Even as the various investigations and legal cases have swirled around Donald Trump, he has always sought to try and keep control of the narrative – in his own particular style.

The constant social media posts declaring a witch hunt, announcing his potential indictment before it was even clear when it would be – in Trump's world, control of the airwaves is what you want, and he will do what he can to make that possible.

Take his return to New York on Monday. The images of the motorcade of secret service vehicles as he made his way to and from his private Boeing 757 – with his name stamped in gold on the side and an American flag on the tail – was no doubt meant to invoke his time in the White House. The 45th president, moving in the way a former head of state should. A show of strength.

Trump has made a habit of acting like a force of nature – with all that entails – and trying to break the constraints of the US political system. For his supporters, this has what made him worth following. It has also meant that US democracy has been pushed almost to breaking point.

Trump's issue is that, once he appears in court in Manhattan, he will become part of a system that he cannot seek to control. A system of lawyers, judges and conventions that Trump will have great difficulty pushing against. This appearance is already under duress, given he likes to claim the whole process is a "witch hunt". He may be needed to appear in court several times, there will be other hearings and legal motions and arguments. The former president may love conducting a circus – but judges do not.

There will be attempts to push his narrative. A late change of legal team kept the news cycle going in his direction, but also highlighted that strategy of his team has sometimes seemed – to this observer at least – as less than coherent.

Heading back to Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday evening, Trump will likely use a primetime address to protest his innocence and try and push the images of his him appearing in court off the news channels. His lawyers had already argued against a move to allow news organisations to broadcast proceedings from the courtroom, with the judge denying the request from a number of US broadcasters.

Trump has already started what had become a regular tactic while in his in the White House: picking on individuals to try and muddy a process – at least in the eyes of his supporters. Trump does know how to handle himself in the middle of a media circus; although the way he goes about that isn't always the advisable option.

What will likely worry him and his team around this case, is that he cannot be in control of this process. In what is an unprecedented event – a phrase that Trump will have grown used to in his political career – the former president will be in an arena that is well outside of his comfort zone.