In a historic turn of events, Donald Trump, aged 77, has etched his name in the books as the inaugural former president to have his mugshot taken subsequent to his detainment.
The arrest, marking his fourth this year, comes from allegations of his involvement in attempting to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election in Georgia.
Accompanied by the caption “Election Interference” and a direct link to his campaign website, Trump shared the mug shot on his newly established Truth Social platform.
The once-dominant social media platform, now rebranded as X, also witnessed Trump sharing this arresting image after he was fingerprinted by authorities at the Fulton County jail.
Formerly Trump’s favored megaphone, Twitter ceased to be accessible to him following his suspension subsequent to the January 6, 2021 uprising at the US Capitol, orchestrated by a faction of his followers.
Elon Musk, the platform’s new proprietor, reintroduced Trump to X in November of the previous year. However, Trump opted to keep his distance, choosing instead to publish his content on Truth Social.
Diverging from his prior three arrests in New York City, Miami, and Washington, DC, a new chapter unfolded for Donald Trump on Thursday as he found himself in Atlanta, where he was captured in a booking photo. This incident also marked a notable moment in his social media activity, as he posted his first tweet since January 2021.
The image unveiled by the sheriff’s office depicted him glaring sternly into the camera, attired in a somber navy blue suit complemented by a white shirt and a vibrant red tie.
Donald Trump’s stature, measuring 6 feet 3 inches (190.5cm), and his weight of 215 pounds (97.5kg), were meticulously documented and inputted into the booking documents. As a standard procedure, he received a prisoner identification number, namely P01135809.
Subsequently, he was granted release after paying a mere 10 percent of his $200,000 bail, a process that lasted just 20 minutes within the renowned facility. Departing from there, his motorcade made its way to Newark airport, from where the New York-native tycoon boarded his Boeing 757, destined for Atlanta.
Touching down in Atlanta shortly past 7 pm, he disembarked from the plane with a wave and a thumbs-up gesture toward the awaiting media. Travelling approximately 14 miles, he reached the jail, his arrival eliciting enthusiastic cheers from his supporters and some jeers from his critics.
Within the confines of the Fulton County jail on Rice Street in downtown Atlanta, Trump spent around 20 minutes—an unusually short time—given the grim state of the facility, which has witnessed seven deaths in custody this year alone. The processing of Trump was markedly expedited compared to other alleged offenders.
The formalities involved recording Trump’s height, weight, hair, and eye color, in addition to capturing his fingerprints and booking photo while facilitating the payment of his bond money. Notably, Trump’s weight was recorded as 25 pounds lighter than during his arrest back in April.
By 7:55pm, he was back in his motorcade and en route to Atlanta airport.
Trump declared on the tarmac that it was ‘a very sad day for America.’
He said it was ‘a travesty of justice’ and added:
‘We did nothing wrong, I did nothing wrong.’
‘This is election interference. So I want to thank you for being here. We did nothing wrong,’ Trump said. ‘We had every right, every single right, to challenge an election we think was dishonest.’
He then boarded his plane and flew back to New Jersey.
Read also: Trump Cancels Press Conference on 2020 election fraud claims, citing attorneys’ advice
During his series of arrests earlier this year, Trump managed to evade the capture of a booking photo on three separate occasions. These instances include his detainment in New York for allegations related to hush money payments to a porn star, his arrest in Florida concerning the mishandling of classified government documents, and his apprehension in Washington on charges of conspiring to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election against Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
Following his apprehension, Trump’s arrest occurred merely a day subsequent to his conspicuous absence from a televised debate held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The debate showcased eight contenders vying for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, a field trailing significantly behind him in polling metrics.
Despite his nonattendance, Trump continued to dominate the attention, as nearly all but two of the participants in the debate expressed their unwavering support for his candidacy as the Republican nominee, even in the event of his conviction as a felon.