Former Atlanta mayor describes scene outside jail ahead of Trump surrender: ‘Something that I’ve never seen before’

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms described the scene outside of the Fulton County, Ga., Jail ahead of former President Trump’s surrender as something she has “never seen before.” 

“There was a lot of anger, a lot of hatred in the air,” Bottoms said in an interview on MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki.” “When I pulled up, many of those outside the jail thought that I was the [Fulton County] District Attorney Fani Willis. They began to angrily … chant, ‘Lock her up, lock her up’ … And so, it was something that I’ve never seen before outside of the jail.”

“It really was surreal,” said Bottoms, who used to work inside of the Fulton County Jail. “And to see that circus atmosphere, obviously, was something we don’t normally see outside of Fulton County Jail.” 

This echoed Bottoms’s comments made to CNN outside of the jail last week, where she said she saw a “lot of hatred” in the crowds.

Willis gave all of the defendants until noon last Friday to surrender at the Fulton County Jail. 

Trump announced earlier in the week he would surrender that Thursday, drawing dozens of supporters with banners and flags outside of the Fulton County Jail hours before his arrival. Some told The Associated Press they were there to offer their support to the former president.

Trump was charged alongside 18 co-defendants in a racketeering case earlier this month, accusing the former president of leading a scheme to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the state. 

Trump was booked Thursday at the Fulton County Jail, where he became the first president in history, past or present, known to have his mug shot taken. 

As of Friday, jail records showed all 19 co-defendants surrendered to authorities in Georgia.