Trump's Georgia jailhouse mug shot makes history

ATLANTA — Donald Trump's mug shot was released on Thursday evening (Aug 24) after he was booked at an Atlanta jail on more than a dozen felony charges as part of a wide-ranging criminal case stemming from the former US president's attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat in Georgia.

An unsmiling Trump — inmate no. P01135809, according to Fulton County Jail records — was captured glaring at the camera in the mug shot. The image represented yet another extraordinary moment for Trump, who did not have to submit to a photograph when making appearances in his three other criminal cases.

He wasted little time trying to turn it to his advantage, posting it on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, as well as his own social media site, Truth Social. His campaign website featured the mug shot along with a message from Trump defending his actions and asking for donations.

The X post appeared to be Trump's first on the site since his account was banned after a mob of his supporters stormed the US Capitol on Jan 6, 2021. X owner Elon Musk reinstated Trump's account late last year.

Trump spent only about 20 minutes at the jail before heading back to his New Jersey golf club. Before boarding his private plane at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport, he repeated his claim that the prosecution — along with the others he faces — is politically motivated.

"What has taken place here is a travesty of justice," he told reporters. "I did nothing wrong, and everybody knows it."

Trump, 77, already has entered uncharted territory as the first former US president to face criminal charges, even as he mounts another campaign for the White House next year.

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Far from damaging his candidacy for the Republican Party nomination, however, the four cases filed against him have only bolstered his standing. He holds a commanding polling lead in the Republican race to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden in the November 2024 election.

Dozens of supporters, waving Trump banners and American flags, jostled for a glimpse as Trump arrived at the jail. Among the Trump backers gathered outside was Georgia US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of the former president's most loyal congressional allies.

Lyle Rayworth, 49, who is in the aviation industry in the Atlanta area, had been waiting near the jailhouse for 10 hours, since early on Thursday.

"Yeah, I'm hoping he sees me waving the flags, showing support," Rayworth said as he awaited Trump's arrival. "He needs us."

The image is certain to be circulated widely by Trump's foes and supporters alike.

'A more popular image than the Mona Lisa'

"We want to put it on a T-shirt. It will go worldwide. It will be a more popular image than the Mona Lisa," said Laura Loomer, 30, a Republican former congressional candidate who mingled with other Trump supporters outside the jail on Thursday morning.

Judge Scott McAfee set a trial date of Oct 23 for one of Trump's 18 co-defendants, attorney Kenneth Chesebro, after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis proposed that date in response to Chesebro's request for a speedy trial. The judge's order said the schedule does not yet apply to Trump or any of the other defendants.

Eleven of his co-defendants already have been booked, according to authorities. Some, like Rudolph Giuliani, the former New York mayor, were stone-faced in their mug shots, while others, such as lawyer Jenna Ellis, smiled for the camera.

All 19 defendants faced a Friday deadline to surrender. Court records showed that Mark Meadows, who served as Trump's White House chief of staff, was processed at the jail on Thursday.

The jail has a reputation for grim conditions that have inspired rap songs and prompted an investigation by the US Justice Department.

Trump faces 13 felony counts in the Georgia case, including racketeering, which is typically used to target organised crime, for pressuring state officials to reverse his election loss and setting up an illegitimate slate of electors to undermine the formal congressional certification of Biden's 2020 victory.

Trial date wrangling

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Willis originally proposed a trial date of March 4 but moved it up for Chesebro after he asked that his trial start by October. Trump's legal team has yet to propose a date but is expected to push for a much later start. On Thursday, his newest Atlanta lawyer, Steven Sadow, asked for Trump to be tried separately from Chesebro.

Trump has pleaded not guilty in the three other cases and denied wrongdoing. In the Georgia case, Willis has requested that arraignments begin the week of Sept 5, though defendants in Georgia are permitted to waive those appearances and plead not guilty via court filing.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg filed the first case, accusing Trump of falsifying business records to hide hush money payments to a porn star who claims to have had a sexual encounter with him years ago.

Trump also faces two sets of federal charges brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith — one case in Washington involving election interference and one in Miami involving classified documents he retained after leaving office in 2021. He faces 91 criminal counts in total.

Trump agreed to post US$200,000 (S$271,265) bond and accepted bail conditions that would bar him from threatening witnesses or his co-defendants in the Georgia case.

Republicans who control the US House of Representatives said on Thursday they would investigate whether Willis improperly coordinated with federal prosecutors. They previously launched an investigation of Bragg, who accused them of a "campaign of intimidation."

On Wednesday, Trump's leading rivals in the race for the Republican presidential nomination met in Milwaukee for their first debate. Trump skipped that event, instead sitting for a pre-taped interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson aimed at syphoning away viewers.

"I've been indicted four times — all trivial nonsense," Trump told Carlson.

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