Donald Trump appears to have hung his own mugshot along a hallway just outside of the Oval Office.
The infamous booking photo, which appears to be a New York Post front page, was spotted hanging proudly in an ornate gold frame as the president welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House.
The viral mugshot, showing a scowling Trump, raising an eyebrow while glaring straight at the camera, was first noticed on social media and was subsequently shared by White House aide Margo Martin.
The Independent has verified the image, which was taken by press photographers hanging through an open door behind the head of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles on Thursday.
Trump was photographed at Fulton County jail in August 2023 after surrendering on racketeering and conspiracy charges of being involved in an alleged scheme to overturn the state's 2020 election results. He was released on a $200,000 bail and maintains his innocence.
Afterward, he decried the sprawling case – which has since been paused – as “a travesty of justice.”
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who prosecuted Trump in February 2021, was dismissed from the case in December over a “significant” conflict of interest.
Rather than feeling an ounce of shame, the president politicized the image to his campaign’s benefit.
The day after the mugshot was publicly released, Trump began hawking merchandise – t-shirts, mugs and bumper stickers – emblazoned with image and the phrase: “Never Surrender!”
Within the first 24 hours of the image being made public, Trump’s campaign reportedly raised more than $4 million, according to his then-spokesperson Steven Cheung.
The mugshot bears an uncanny resemblance to the president’s official portrait last month, which also shows him scowling, eyebrows raised as his eyes stare down the barrel of the camera.
The color of his tie (blue in the official photograph) is one of the key differences.
On Thursday, Modi became the fourth world leader to visit Trump at the White House during his second term as president.
The interaction with U.S. and Indian journalists marked a rare unscripted moment for the Indian leader, who has largely avoided interactions with the media throughout his 11 years in power.
The pair opted to sidestep more contentious issues and instead elected to heap on praise to one another.
Modi made several references to Trump's “Make America Great Again” slogan and, at one point, suggested he would adopt his own version.
“It's Make India Great Again,” he said. “MAGA plus MIGA...[is a] mega-partnership for prosperity.”
Modi added: “One thing that I deeply appreciate and I learned from President Trump is that he keeps the national interest supreme. And like him, I also keep the national interest of India at the top of everything else.”
Meanwhile, Trump applauded Modi as a “great leader” and said that he will be in negotiations to “address the long-running disparities” of the U.S.-India trade relationship.
