How Trump’s monetizing his mug shot
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Photo: X
Former President Trump got the prime-time coverage he craved — and the historic mug shot he wanted.
Driving the news: Trump's drive-by visit to Atlanta late Thursday to be arrested for the fourth time in less than five months produced the stern-looking jailhouse photo — another presidential first for him — that's sure to be the signature image of the 2024 campaign.
Why it matters: His team has already indicated it will use the image on Trump '24 merchandise and in fundraising appeals to feed his claim that he's a victim of overzealous, partisan prosecutors.
- Trump not only posted the mug shot on his Truth Social account, he shared it on X, formerly Twitter.
- It was his first post there since Jan. 8, 2021 — two days after the Jan. 6 insurrection — when he wrote, "I will not be going to the inauguration on January 20th."
Yes, but: Trump's trip to Georgia also was a reminder of the jeopardy he faces in the charges filed by Fulton County DA Fani Willis.
- She's accused him of running a criminal enterprise that tried to overturn the election — state charges that are out of reach of any potential self-pardon he could try to issue if he were elected president again.
- Instead of a courthouse like those Trump had gone to in responding to felony indictments in New York, Florida and Washington, D.C., he had to report to Fulton County's decrepit, smelly jail.
- He was fingerprinted and issued inmate #P01135809.
Go deeper: Trump's historic mug shot released in Georgia election case
