ATLANTA, USA — Donald Trump, the former U.S. President and the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, was arrested on Thursday, August 24, 2023, on racketeering and conspiracy related to efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
He was released on a $200,000 bond after less than 30 minutes at Atlanta’s Fulton County Jail.
In an extraordinary first for any serving or former U.S. President, Trump had a mug shot taken during the booking process.
Clad in a dark blue suit, white shirt, and red tie, Trump scowled at the camera.
The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office released the photograph, and quickly spread across social media platforms.
“It’s a very sad day for America. What has taken place here is a travesty of justice,” Trump told reporters upon his release. He later posted the mug shot on his own Truth Social platform with the caption “Election Interference,” as well as on X, formerly known as Twitter.
https://t.co/MlIKklPSJT pic.twitter.com/Mcbf2xozsY
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2023
Trump’s arrest comes a day after he declined to participate in a televised debate featuring eight other 2024 Republican presidential candidates. Still, he managed to dominate conversations, with most candidates pledging to support him even if he were convicted.
Fulton County district attorney, Fani Willis, who filed the sweeping charges, had set a noon deadline on Friday for Trump and 18 other defendants to surrender.
So far, 12 have turned themselves in, including Trump’s former White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani.
John Eastman, a conservative lawyer who allegedly schemed to submit a false slate of Trump electors to Congress, has also been booked and released.
“I think this is political persecution, and now that’s turned into a political prosecution,” said Sharon Anderson, a Trump supporter who had camped outside the jail.
Trump has been criminally indicted four times since April.
His trials, if scheduled, could collide with the 2024 presidential campaign, adding an unprecedented layer of drama to an already highly charged political landscape.
Special counsel Jack Smith has proposed a January 2024 start date for Trump’s trial on charges stemming from the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
Trump’s lawyers have suggested a date well after the 2024 election — April 2026.
Meanwhile, Fulton County Jail, the venue of Trump’s historic arrest, is itself under investigation for inmate deaths and deplorable conditions.
It listed Trump’s inmate number as “PO1135809” and recorded his height as six foot three inches and his weight as 215 pounds.
Trump’s legal woes are far from over, as he is scheduled to go on trial in New York in March on charges of paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels.
A Florida case accusing him of mishandling secret government documents is set to begin in May.
How these trials and allegations will affect Trump’s chances in the 2024 race remains to be seen.
For now, his arrest marks a new and unpredictable chapter in American politics that has yet to unfold fully.
