The mug shot of Donald Trump was released after he was arrested in an Atlanta jail on more than a dozen charges as part of a broader criminal case stemming from the former US president’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat in Georgia, reports RTE.
The photo presents another remarkable moment for Trump not to appear in front of the camera for his lass three criminal cases.
Trump, who will run for president in 2024, has already made history as the first former US president to face criminal charges — not once, but four times.
But this is the first time he had to pose for a mug photo. Unlike other authorities who issued him a pass, Georgia chose to treat him like any other defendant with fingerprints and a police photo, reports RTE.
Trump spent just 20 minutes in jail before returning to a golf club in New Jersey. Before boarding his private plane at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, he reiterated his claim that the prosecution — along with others he met with — was politically motivated.
“What has taken place here is a travesty of justice,” he told reporters. “I did nothing wrong, and everybody knows it,” reports RTE.
Trump wasted no time using the mug photo for fundraising purposes, posting it on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as on his own social media platform, Truth Social.
Post X was Trump’s first post in more than 2.5 years after his account was banned following an attack by supporters on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Elon Musk reinstated Trump’s account last year shortly after X took over.
Trump also posted a photo on his campaign website with the donation appeal, claiming he was “arrested despite having committed no crime”, reports RTE.
Trump, 77, has already stepped into uncharted territory as the first former US president to face criminal charges, although he will run another campaign for the White House next year.
However, the four cases brought against him did not harm his candidacy for the Republican Party nomination, only strengthened his position. He has a clear lead in the polls in the race to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden in the November 2024 election.
Dozens of supporters, waving banners and American flags, jostled for a glimpse as Trump arrived at the prison. Among Donald Trump’s supporters gathered outside was U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green of Georgia, one of the former president’s staunchest congressional allies.
Tell us your thoughts in the Facebook post and share this with your friends.