Welcome to the East Press Now. I'm Chuck Todd reporting from Washington.

We begin this hour with the Republican presidential frontrunner and former reality TV star Donald Trump

preparing to surrender authorities in Georgia

in prime time and he's playing an executive producer by doing it and timing it the way he's doing

it. He's doing it less than 24 hours after skipping the first Republican presidential debate.

Moments ago, the former president left his residence in New Jersey. Here are pictures of his

motorcade leaving

Bedminster. Don't worry, we are not lingering on this. There's not really that necessary.

As Mr. Trump now heads to Georgia, he'll be booked at the Fulton County Jail in his fourth indictment

in four months. This time, he'll face 13 new criminal counts tied to alleged racketeering.

It's a scheme that Fannie Willis says was used to try to overturn Georgia's presidential election results.

When he officially surrenders, he's expected to be fingerprinted and he'll have his mugshot taken,

much like his other co-defendants have experienced this week when they turned themselves in.

One of those mugshots, of course, is Trump's former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows,

who, after trying to get a delay, ended up because of a court order, surrendering this afternoon.

And the district attorney, Fannie Willis, is now seeking an October 23rd trial date.

Yes, this October, not next October, at October 23rd trial date. Yes, this October, not next October,

at October 23rd trial date for all 19 defendants.

It would be a full five months earlier than her initial request,

which legal experts agreed was itself a highly ambitious timeframe

given the sheer number of defendants and the complexities of this case.

So either way, the timing of Trump's

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