Donald Trump’s election, time in office, and post-presidential tenure saw and continue to see many historic firsts. The first time a presidential candidate bragged that he could shoot someone on a major Manhattan thoroughfare and not lose any votes. The first time a president suggested his constituents inject household cleaner. And, as of today, the first time a former US president was forced to pose for a mug shot.
Here it is: the Donald Trump mug shot.
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Trump had his mug photographed after surrendering to the Fulton County district attorney’s office on 13 felony counts for trying to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. While this is the fourth time the ex-president has surrendered on criminal charges since April, it is the first time he’s had his mug shot taken. Earlier this month, before Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis charged Trump, Fulton County sheriff Pat Labat told a reporter, “Unless somebody tells me differently, we are following our normal practices, and so it doesn’t matter your status, we’ll have a mug shot ready for you.” (His height and weight were also recorded: He apparently reported six-foot-three and 215 pounds, if you’re wondering).
While most people probably wouldn’t want such an image to be made public, Trump is presumably not too broken up about it, given that he has used his indictments in multiple fundraising emails, including when he was charged by the Manhattan district attorney’s office this past spring. At the time, Trump was reportedly “offered a chance to surrender quietly and be arraigned over Zoom,” but instead “opted for a midday, high-profile booking at the Manhattan courthouse.” As one law enforcement official told Rolling Stone at the time: “He wanted a perp walk, he wanted daylight hours. He wants to get out of the vehicle and walk up the stairs.” Not to mention that in the Georgia case, as the Guardian reported on Tuesday, Trump “had his lawyers negotiate the booking to take place during the prime viewing hours for the cable news networks.”
The ex-president has raised millions off of his legal woes, and given that that appears to be a point of pride for the campaign, there’s probably a nonzero chance supporters will soon be able to purchase T-shirts, hats, lawn signs, and other merch featuring the photo taken today.
Trump and his 18 accused coconspirators have all insisted they did nothing wrong. Throughout the week, many of Trump’s codefendants, including Mark Meadows, John Eastman, Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, and Sidney Powell have surrendered and had their mug shots taken and released. Trump’s bond was set at $200,000, and included stipulations that the former president would not to threaten witnesses, his codefendants, and unindicted coconspirators, including on social media.
