Donald Trump took to Twitter yesterday to celebrate the one-year anniversary of his historic mugshot, taken in Fulton County Jail, Georgia.
“HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY”, the former president tweeted.
The mugshot was taken on 24 August 2023, in Fulton County Jail, Georgia, after Trump was indicted on racketeering and other charges by a grand jury.
The mugshot has been called “an American moment,” by the Associated Press, and an “enduring image that will appear in history books long after Donald Trump is gone.”
According to Guardian writer Chris McGreal, “Trump’s hostility shines through as he turns his eyes up toward the camera above him and in his taut, downturned mouth… Dressed in a blue suit, white shirt and red tie, he makes no attempt to put on a smile like some of his co-defendants in their mugshots. The picture does not flatter but it does convey the message many of Trump’s supporters want to hear—belligerence.”
Trump has used the image for fundraising, and it was the first thing he Tweeted after being reinstated on Twitter by the platform’s new owner, Elon Musk.
The mugshot remained Trump’s sole post-reinstatement Tweet until this month, when the former president returned to full posting duties with a campaign video and a special message to the American people. He also appeared in a live Twitter interview with Elon Musk that reached hundreds of millions of people worldwide.