Donald Trump scowled in his historic mug shot that was released after the former president surrendered at the notorious Fulton County Jail.
Mr Trump was captured in the iconic photo as he was arrested in Atlanta over criminal charges that he conspired with 18 associates to interfere in the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
It is the first time in American history that a sitting or former president has had a booking photo taken by law enforcement, in this case Fulton County Sheriff’s Department.
It took place after authorities insisted that Mr Trump, who has now been indicted in four criminal cases, should be treated like any other defendant in their county.
In his other three previous criminal cases, Mr Trump was formally arrested just before his court appearance but was spared the indignities of being fully processed.
Fulton County Sheriff’s Office listed Mr Trump as 6’3” in height and weighing 215 pounds on its inmate website after he was booked at the jail. CNN reported that Mr Trump’s aides filled in his weight on paperwork completed before he arrived in Atlanta.
Donald Trump’s booking photo after he surrendered at Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Georgia— (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office)
The former president flew aboard his private jet from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, to Atlanta on Thursday afternoon after being given until 12pm on Friday to surrender by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
US Secret Service stands guard outside the Fulton County Jail ahead of former President Donald Trump's surrender on August 24, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia.— (Getty Images)
He was accompanied by a huge police motorcade as he made his way from his summer residence to Newark Liberty International Airport, where his private plane was waiting.
Mr Trump had his mugshot taken following the likes of his former White Hosue chief of staff Mark Meadows; lawyers Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, Jena Ellis, John Eastman, Kenneth Chesebro and Ray Smith; former Georgia Republican party officials David Shafer and Cathy Latham; and Scott Hall, a Georgia bail bondsman.
jeez this is an intense motorcade pic.twitter.com/OaiVSgQZIQ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 24, 2023
As he left for Georgia, Mr Trump told his Truth Social followers that he was on his way “to get ARRESTED by a Radical Left, Lowlife District Attorney, Fani Willis, for A PERFECT PHONE CALL, and having the audacity to challenge a RIGGED & STOLEN ELECTION. THE EVIDENCE IS IRREFUTABLE! ARREST TIME: 7:30 P.M.”
Mr Trump arrived in Georgia at around 7pm EST and gave a thumbs-up sign to waiting reporters as he walked from his jet to a waiting Secret Service motorcade at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
He then spent around one hour and 40 minutes on the ground before returning to the airport to return to New Jersey.
Mr Trump was indicted for falsely claiming that he had won the 2020 election instead of Joe Biden, and is accused of then trying to overturn the results in Georgia and other swing states.
In a series of phone calls, he is accused of pressuring Georgia election officials to help him in his campaign, including Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. In a leaked hour-long call to his office, Mr Trump was heard asking Mr Raffensperger to help him “find 11,780 votes” he needed to win the state.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up as he arrives at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on August 24, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia.— (Getty Images)
Mr Biden won the Electoral College 306-232 and by more than 7 million votes overall. Judges across the country threw out lawsuits brought by Mr Trump stating that there was no evidence of the debunked election fraud he claimed.
But Mr Trump has continued to meritlessly claim that he was the victor in 2020 and has criticised the criminal cases against him as an attempt to prevent him from running for the White House in 2024.
Fulton County Jail ahead of former President Donald Trump's surrender on August 24, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia— (Getty Images)
After Mr Trump handed himself in he was released on a prearranged $200,000 bail, of which he paid a $20,000 bond, the first time he has had to pay one in any of his cases, and he is prevented from intimidating any witnesses on social media.
In the federal Mar-a-Lago documents case in Florida brought by special counsel Jack Smith, Mr Trump was released on personal recognizance with restrictions put in place on contacting witnesses.
Fulton County Sheriff Deputies stand guard outside the Fulton County Jail ahead of former President Donald Trump's surrender on August 24, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia.— (Getty Images)
Mr Trump was also released with minimal conditions in the Washington DC January 6 case but is not allowed to contact any witnesses unless it is through a lawyer.
In the New York hush money case Mr Trump was ordered just not to contact any witnesses in the case unless it was through his attorney.
Mr Trump was booked on the same day that Ms Willis asked a judge to begin the case against the GOP frontrunner and his co-defendants on 23 October.
The request came a day after defendant Kenneth Chesebro filed a demand for a speedy trial in the county Superior Court.
Ms Willis had originally asked for Mr Trump and the other defendants to be arraigned in court during the week of 5 September and for the trial to begin in March 2024.
Former President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before departure from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023, in Atlanta.— (AP)
Mr Trump Trump is charged with 13 felony counts violating the Georgia RICO Act, three counts of solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer, conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer, two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree, two counts of conspiracy to commit false statements and writings, conspiracy to commit filing false documents, filing false documents, and two counts of false statements and writings.
