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Mug shot of Donald Trump

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Mug shot of Donald Trump
Fulton County Jail Booking Photo #2313827
Trump's booking photograph released by the Fulton County, Georgia Sheriff's Office
Completion dateAugust 24, 2023
MediumPhotograph
SubjectDonald Trump
LocationAtlanta, Georgia, U.S.
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A mug shot of Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021, was taken at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Georgia, on August 24, 2023. This occurred after he turned himself in to authorities following a state indictment of himself and others on racketeering and related charges. He was assigned the booking number 2313827.

Commentators have viewed the photograph and its subsequent reactions as a clear illustration of various aspects of Trumpism.[1] They have observed the differing motivations behind the adoption of the photograph by various points on the political spectrum.[2] Furthermore, they have highlighted Trump's polarizing presence in American politics and his ability to weather controversies more effectively than most contemporary politicians.[3]

This mug shot stands as the first and only instance of an American president having their mug shot taken. Consequently, it has been deemed a historic moment.[4][5][6] The Associated Press pointed out several distinctive qualities of the photo, including the subject's intense glare, locked-in hard stare, and palpable defiance.[7] Similarly, BBC News remarked on the photo's interrogation-style atmosphere.[8] Within mere hours of its release to the public, it transformed into a viral Internet meme and appeared on merchandise sold online by the 2024 Trump campaign.[9][10][11]

History and content

See also: Georgia election racketeering prosecution

Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants were indicted on racketeering and related charges by a Fulton County, Georgia grand jury on August 14, 2023. This followed an investigation initiated in February 2021 by the district attorney, Fani Willis. Following the issuance of arrest warrants by the grand jury for all 19 defendants, Willis granted the co-defendants an opportunity to voluntarily surrender by noon Eastern Time on August 25.[12]

Shortly after 7:30 p.m. on August 24, Trump turned himself in and was booked at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta. There, he was placed under arrest, assigned inmate No. P01135809,[13] fingerprinted, had his mug shot taken, and was subsequently released on bail.[14] According to jail records, Trump was listed as being 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) tall and weighing 215 lb (98 kg), with blue eyes and "blond or strawberry" hair.[15]

At 9:38 p.m. Eastern Time, Trump posted an image of the mug shot on Twitter. The post also contained a link to a WinRed page soliciting contributions for his 2024 presidential campaign. In the accompanying text, Trump wrote "MUG SHOT — AUGUST 24, 2023", "ELECTION INTERFERENCE", and "NEVER SURRENDER!"[16][17] This marked his first activity on the platform since January 2021, when he was suspended due to his involvement in the January 6 U.S. Capitol attack.[17] Despite the suspension on his account being lifted in November 2022, Trump refrained from posting on his account for the ensuing nine months.[18]

Prior to Trump's Manhattan arraignment in April 2023, his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, asserted that his mug shot would "go down in history as the most famous mug shot ever to exist in America".[6] Additionally, a Trump spokesperson predicted that the photo would be the "most manly, most masculine, most handsome mug shot of all time". Notably, no booking photo was taken during the arraignment, and Trump's campaign website began selling T-shirts featuring a fabricated mugshot.[19]

Reaction

The photograph was described as "iconic and infamous" on CNN.[5] The Associated Press called it "an enduring image that will appear in history books long after Donald Trump is gone."[7] The Guardian's Chris McGreal called it the defining mug shot of the decade and one that defines modern US politics, noting that "Trump's hostility shines through as he turns his eyes up toward the camera above him and in his taut, downturned mouth (...) Dressed in a blue suit, white shirt and red tie, he makes no attempt to put on a smile like some of his co-defendants in their mugshots. The picture does not flatter but it does convey the message many of Trump's supporters want to hear – belligerence."[20] The Telegraph said "The 45th president is pictured striking a hostile pose, with his eyebrows contracted, lips pursed and a menacing scowl on his face. His head and the top of his shoulders are visible in what is likely to become a world-famous image."[21]

The Associated Press described his facial expression as an "intense glare" adding "His defiance is palpable, as if he's staring down a nemesis through the lens."[7] Time said, "His platinum blonde cotton candy wisp of hair shimmering in the harsh jailhouse lighting. His eyes locked in a hard stare. His mouth flattened in a grimace. Instead of smiling like some of his co-defendants, he appears to be scowling."[22] Sources like the BBC on the other hand called the composition of the picture a "photographer's nightmare."[8] Critic Vanessa Friedman writing in The New York Times called the photo "a mug shot for history that is unprecedented" and wrote that "his face is lit from above by a blinding white flash that hits his ash blond hair like a spotlight. . . He glowers out from beneath his brows, unsmiling, eyes rendered oddly bloodshot, brow furrowed, chin tucked in, as if he is about to head-butt the camera. The image is stark, shorn of the flags and fancy that have been Mr. Trump's preferred framings for photo ops at Mar-a-Lago or Trump Tower, or during his term in office, and that communicate power and the gilded glow of success." Friedman quoted historian Sean Wilentz as calling the mug shot "dramatically unprecedented".[4] CNN called the photo stark in its simplicity, and "one of the most iconic images of anyone who served as commander in chief."[13] The Independent observed that "the 45th president glowers straight into the camera, brow furrowed and sizable bushy eyebrows lowered as he faces his fate", adding "it is an undeniable fact that Trump’s mug shot is both historically and culturally significant – and soon to be seen everywhere, forever." [23]

Commentators have analogized Trump's menacing expression to the "Kubrick stare," emblematic of several memorable characters of Stanley Kubrick's films.[24] In memes and opinions the booking photo was also said to imitate character Vigo the Cruel's "menacing stare featured prominently in Ghostbusters II"[25] and the eponymous character's "blue steel" pose in the movie Zoolander.[25][26]

When asked about the photograph by reporters, U.S. President Joe Biden responded by remarking that Trump is a "handsome guy".[27]

References

  1. ^ Hornaday, Ann (August 24, 2023). "Trump's mug shot is perfectly on brand". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  2. ^ Moore, Robert. "The mugshot that may change America". ITV News. Archived from the original on August 26, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  3. ^ Smith, Sarah. "Donald Trump still rewriting laws of politics after Georgia arrest". BBC News. Archived from the original on August 26, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Friedman, Vanessa (August 25, 2023). "A Trump Mug Shot for History". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "'Infamous': Bash on Trump's historic mug shot". CNN. August 25, 2023. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Hartmann, Margaret; Prater, Nia (August 25, 2023). "All the Mug Shots of Donald Trump and His Alleged Co-Conspirators". Intelligencer. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Cooper, Jonathan J. (August 25, 2023). "One image, one face, one American moment: The Donald Trump mug shot". AP News. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Wright, George; Honderich, Holly (August 24, 2023). "Smirk, don't smile: The art of a good mugshot". BBC News. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  9. ^ Knolle, Sharon (August 25, 2023). "Trump's Mug Shot an Instant Phenomenon as Merch Hits Online Stores and Memes Overrun X". TheWrap. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023 – via Yahoo! Entertainment.
  10. ^ Silberling, Amanda (August 25, 2023). "The mugshot that launched a thousand memes". TechCrunch. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  11. ^ Yang, Maya (August 25, 2023). "From mugshot to mugs and memes: Trump picture fuels internet frenzy". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  12. ^ Sangal, Aditi; Hayes, Mike; Hammond, Elise; Chowdhury, Maureen; Vera, Amir; Wolfe, Elizabeth; Subramaniam, Tara (August 15, 2023). "Defendants have until noon on August 25 to "voluntarily surrender", Fulton County DA says". CNN. Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  13. ^ a b Collinson, Stephen. "Presidential mug shot of inmate No. P01135809 is stark in its simplicity". CNN. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  14. ^ Tucker, Eric; Brumback, Kate; Colvin, Jill (August 24, 2023). "Mug shot of Donald Trump shows scowling former president during speedy booking at Atlanta jail". AP News. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  15. ^ Brook, Benedict (August 25, 2023). "Donald Trump mugshot released after arrest in Georgia election racketeering case". news.com.au. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  16. ^ Trump, Donald [@realDonaldTrump] (August 24, 2023). "DONALDJTRUMP.COM" (Tweet). Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023 – via Twitter.
  17. ^ a b Matza, Max; Epstein, Kayla (August 24, 2023). "Historic Trump mugshot released in Georgia arrest in election plot case". BBC News. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  18. ^ Duffy, Clare; LeBlanc, Paul (November 20, 2022). "Elon Musk restores Donald Trump's Twitter account". CNN. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  19. ^ Wang, Amy B. (August 24, 2023). "Trump mug shot released after booking in Fulton County Jail". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  20. ^ McGreal, Chris. "Belligerence and hostility: Trump's mugshot defines modern US politics". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 26, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  21. ^ Sabur, Rozina; Bowman, Verity (August 24, 2023). "Donald Trump defiant in 'carefully staged' mugshot". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  22. ^ Bennett, Brian; Popli, Nik (August 25, 2023). "Here Is Trump's Mug Shot, the First Ever of a Former President". Time. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  23. ^ Flynn, Sheila (August 25, 2023). "With one glowering mug shot, Trump joins a notorious album of (alleged) criminals: Former President Donald J Trump's mug shot has become the visual equivalent of the "shot heard round the world" – as he joins a long list of celebrities and notorious arrestees". The Independent. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  24. ^ Collin, Robbie (August 25, 2023). "Why Trump's 'Kubrick Stare' mugshot is straight out of the horror film playbook". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on August 26, 2023. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  25. ^ a b Brushard, Brian (August 25, 2023). "Trump Mug Shot Memes: Here Are The Most Popular Ones Flooding The Internet". Forbes. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  26. ^ Bauer-Reese, Jillian (August 25, 2023). "Opinion: Trump's mug shot is historic, but arrest images of ordinary people shouldn't be published". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  27. ^ Gardner, Akayla (August 25, 2023). "'Handsome Guy,' Biden Quips About Trump Mug Shot". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on August 26, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
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