Trump mug shot makes history after surrender at Fulton County Jail

Former President Trump became the first U.S. president in history, past or present, known to have his mug shot taken – a stipulation of his surrender at the Fulton County, Ga., Jail on Thursday evening following a fourth criminal indictment this year.

The indictments were also a first as Trump became the only American president to face criminal charges, which have now reached 91 counts altogether.

Fulton County officials released Trump’s mug shot after he surrendered to the local jail, joining a handful of other defendants also named in the case. 

Despite it being his fourth indictment, it was the first time Trump had his mug shot taken, which was released publicly. He was not required to take mug shots the three other times he surrendered to authorities in other cases he faces, two of which are federal.

The state case in Georgia involves 19 defendants total, who have been charged with a criminal conspiracy to overturn Trump’s 2020 election loss to then-candidate Joe Biden.

The mug shot of Trump adds to those already released of the co-defendants who surrendered previously over the week, including his former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and attorneys Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis.

When he surrendered in Florida in the federal case over his handling of classified documents, the U.S. Marshals Service cited “ample imagery of the defendant in the public domain” for why a mug shot was not needed.

But in Fulton County, officials had been suggesting for days that they would stick to their normal practice of taking a mug shot of defendants who are booked at the Fulton County Jail.

“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,” Sheriff Pat Labat previously said, according to WSB-TV.

At least two of his co-defendants, attorney Jenna Ellis and former Georgia Republican Party Chair David Shafer, both made their mug shots their profile photos on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Trump appeared to waste no time in seizing on the moment politically, posting his mug shot shortly after it was released. In a Truth Social post, the photo accompanied the words: “Election Interference” and “Never Surrender!”

Several of his aides separately shared the post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Updated 9:35 p.m.