After former president Donald Trump was booked at the Fulton County Jail in Georgia on Aug. 20, a mugshot of him was made public record and quickly went viral across the internet. According to The New York Times, this was the first mugshot of any American president making it an image that will go down in history.
The picture was taken following Trump’s fourth indictment and was released once he left the jail after paying $20,000 of his $200,000 bond. Fulton County jail also took pictures of the 18 other people charged in the case including Trump’s lawyers, Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, as well as his former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, according to NBC News.
The prosecutors in the other three cases involving Trump refrained from taking a mugshot of him, saying that since he is one of the most recognizable people in the world, it would be impossible for him to be a flight risk. The prosecutor in Georgia said all defendants will be treated equally and that a mugshot was a part of the protocol, according to The New York Times.
Ella Maxwell, a sophomore studying environmental science and sustainability, said she first saw the mugshot of Donald Trump circulating around Instagram and found it very amusing.
“I was very excited that he was finally in jail or, you know, prosecuted, and I also thought he looked horrible so I laughed at that,” she said.
Maxwell said she thought it was unacceptable for Trump to still be able to run even after so many indictments.
“It’s insane that he can run for reelection after everything he has done,” she said.
Cameron Lowery, a senior studying political science, said he first saw the mugshot on CNN and said he was surprised by how angry the former president looked.
“I was kind of expecting him to smile since he keeps saying that it’s not legitimate,” he said.
Lowery said he believes Trump’s legal problems will have a negative effect on his run for reelection.
“I think that these charges that he’s got up against him and the legal indictments that he has against him are going to be very troubling to his campaign especially if the trial is set before the Republican convention,” he said.
Lowery said he would not be voting for Trump in the primary because he does not believe Trump is the best-suited Republican for the job, but that he would definitely consider voting for Trump in the general election if he was the main candidate for the Republican party.
“There’s some other people that would probably still vote for him,” he said. “I’m a moderate conservative, so I don't think he has the strongest grip on the party. I think someone else is still capable of fulfilling that position.”
Sumana Pothrai, a junior studying chemistry, said she originally saw the photo on Instagram reels and was convinced that it was not an actual mugshot.
“I didn’t think it was real the first time I saw it,” she said. “I was like ‘This is definitely photoshopped.’”
Cat Gavin, a junior studying plant biology, said her mom originally sent the photo of Trump’s mugshot in their family group chat.
She said she was astonished by Trump’s face in the mugshot.
“He looks high first of all and he looks like he got a fresh tan before it so at least he was prepared, you know, all orange and everything,” she said.
