Donald Trump, in all his legal travails in the last four years, only ever had one mugshot taken. It was taken on August 24, 2023, in Fulton County, on the day Trump was arraigned in connection with the racketeering case in Georgia, one of the three cases that never went forward to trial.
Before the mugshot was released, it was predicted that the images would instantly become iconic, both among those who love and hate the 43rd president. It ended more the case for Trump’s fans, who quickly put the picture on t-shirts and other merchandise. Also, on the day the mugshot was taken, Trump returned to then-Twitter for the first time in more than two years, to post the mugshot itself, along with a link to his website:
https://t.co/MlIKklPSJT pic.twitter.com/Mcbf2xozsY
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2023
This week, quite a few people noticed that Trump’s official second inaugural portrait very much resembles the mugshot.
Trump’s official inaugural portrait bears striking resemblance to mugshot https://t.co/BJn0CKUCY3 pic.twitter.com/mNaZxOuYrs
— New York Post (@nypost) January 16, 2025
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The New York Post, normally a reliably pro-Trump organ, referred to Trump’s “villain-esque facial expression” and described him “staring into the camera with an icy look and a furrowed brow.”
Trump’s transition team, in what’s likely a presidential first, used the phrase “They go hard,” in reference to Trump and J.D. Vance’s inaugural portraits.
By contrast, Trump had smiled in his 2017 inaugural portrait.
There were some funny reactions to the release of the image:
I deleted an earlier tweet b/c I couldn’t believe that was Trump’s actual inaugural photo, that it had to be a joke photoshop of his mug shot https://t.co/BpaNnb6rhH
— PoIiMath (@politicalmath) January 16, 2025
WTF is up with the way his photo is lit? Is it some AI slop or Ring light gone terribly wrong. https://t.co/zOkcBK5WoI
— Meerkats R Extending A Middle Finger @ You (@MeerkatsRMammal) January 16, 2025
https://t.co/Xkt91YZcXv pic.twitter.com/wfAHHXs22N
— James B. Webb (@BrainRage) January 16, 2025
So what’s the status of that Georgia case, in which the mugshot was taken?
Trump and 18 codefendants, including his former chief of staff Mark Meadows and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and lawyers John Eastman and Kenneth Chesebro, were indicted in August of 2023, with four defendants, including lawyers Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell, entering guilty pleas.
However, the prosecution was jeopardized, thanks to revelations that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, another lawyer on the case. Willis has now been disqualified by an appeals court, which led to the case being “paused.” The case remains steeped in uncertainty, including over whether a different prosecutor might be assigned and if so. But with Trump heading back to office, he will almost certainly not be prosecuted in state court.
Photo courtesy of Political Tribune media library.
