Donald Trump: Former US president becomes first in history to have mugshot taken after arrest

Donald Trump has become the first-ever former US president to have a mugshot. The historic picture was taken after he surrendered in Georgia amid charges related to alleged efforts to overturn the state’s 2020 election results. The former POTUS had to pay a bail bond of $200,000 (£160,000) to be released from Atlanta jail while he awaits trial.

Branding the case a "travesty of justice," Trump found himself in legal trouble for the fourth time in five months, though this arrest marked the debut of his police booking photo.

In a bold return to the public eye, Trump reappeared on X (formerly Twitter), marking his first post since January 2021. In this message, he shared his website address alongside the striking mugshot, with a strongly worded caption in all capital letters: "Election interference. Never surrender!"

According to the BBC, Trump’s booking photo now joins those of other prominent American figures, such as Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Al Capone, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who all faced arrest.

Trump argues that the charges against him are politically motivated, pointing to his position as the leading Republican contender in the race against Democratic President Joe Biden for the upcoming presidential election next year.

This groundbreaking indictment makes Trump the first former or serving US president to face such legal proceedings. He made the journey from New Jersey to Atlanta aboard his private jet for the surrender, reportedly escorted by a more extensive motorcade than in his previous court appearances this year.

According to jail records, Trump is described as a 6ft 3in tall, 215lbs (97kg) white male with blond or strawberry hair and blue eyes, assigned the inmate number P01135809.

Before leaving the airport, Trump defended his actions to reporters, asserting his right to challenge election results. Echoing his previous claim of unfounded allegations of widespread ballot fraud, he said: "I thought the election was a rigged election, a stolen election.

"And I should have every right to do that. As you know, you have many people that you’ve been watching over the years do the same thing, whether it’s Hillary Clinton or (former candidate for Georgia governor) Stacey Abrams, or many others."

Trump and 18 co-defendants were charged last week with meddling in Georgia’s election results following his narrow loss to Biden by fewer than 12,000 votes in the state. A phone call in which Trump pressured Georgia’s top election official to "find 11,780 votes" during the ballot count serves as one piece of evidence among the 13 charges he faces.

These charges include racketeering, solicitation of a public official to violate their oath of office, conspiracy to impersonate a public officer, conspiracy to commit forgery, and making false statements - all of which Trump vehemently denies.

Ahead of the Friday deadline, half of Trump’s co-defendants had already been booked at Fulton County Jail, including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.

One co-defendant, Harrison Floyd, leader of Black Voices for Trump, remains in custody without bail after voluntarily turning himself in. A Georgia judge granted a speedy trial request to another co-defendant, attorney Kenneth Chesebro, whose case is now scheduled to start on October 23.