Former President Donald Trump made history on Tuesday as he became the first current or former US president to have a mugshot taken. He was booked at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Georgia, after being indicted on charges related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state.
The mugshot, which showed Trump wearing a navy suit and a red tie, with a grim expression on his face, was released to the public shortly after his booking. It quickly went viral on social media, sparking memes, jokes and reactions from both supporters and critics of the former president.
Some compared Trump’s mugshot to those of other famous celebrities who have been arrested, such as Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Justin Bieber. Others mocked Trump’s appearance, hair and tie. Some praised the mugshot as a symbol of justice and accountability, while others denounced it as a sign of political persecution and witch hunt.
Trump was indicted on 11 counts of criminal interference with an election, conspiracy, false statements and racketeering by a grand jury in Fulton County on August 17. The indictment also charged 18 other Trump allies and supporters, including Rudy Giuliani, Lindsey Graham, Mark Meadows, Brad Raffensperger and Brian Kemp.
The charges stem from Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia, where he lost to Joe Biden by about 12,000 votes. He allegedly pressured state officials to “find” more votes for him, threatened them with criminal consequences if they did not comply, and spread false claims of voter fraud and irregularities.
Trump surrendered to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday morning and was released on a $200,000 bond later that day. He agreed to limit his social media posts about the case as part of his bail conditions. He pleaded not guilty and said he would fight the charges.
“This is a witch hunt. They’re trying to silence me and my supporters. We won the election by a landslide. The mugshot was not a comfortable feeling. I felt like a common criminal,” Trump told reporters after his release.
His lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, said that the charges were “baseless” and “politically motivated” and that he was confident that Trump would be exonerated.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) described the indictment as a step toward Congress deciding to bar Trump from holding office, which previously was considered and rejected in the chaotic aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021 US Capitol riot.
“No one in this country is above the law – including former President Trump. Being indicted for falsifying business records with hush money is only the beginning of being held accountable for his crimes,” Bowman said.
Bowman added: “Republicans will continue to claim this was a political arrest, but they can’t continue to hide behind their lies, misinformation, and racist attacks towards Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. It’s time that we ensure Trump is banned from running for any public office again and from there, finally take action to fix our democracy.”
Relevant articles:
- Trump becomes first US president in history to receive mug shot: ‘Not a comfortable feeling’ by Josh Christenson, New York Post, August 24, 2023
- Donald Trump’s Mug Shot Released, a Historic First for Any U.S. President by Tom Porter, Yahoo News, August 25, 2023
- US politics latest: Donald Trump becomes first former president ever to have mugshot taken as historic photo revealed by Sky News, August 25, 2023
- Trump mug shot released by Fulton County Sheriff’s Office by Amy B Wang, The Washington Post, August 24, 2023
- Trump to be arrested in Georgia after last week’s indictment: Live updates by NBC News, August 24, 2023
- Trump and 18 co-defendants to be booked in Georgia jail by The Guardian, August 17, 2023