In Georgia, Donald Trump turned himself in on suspicion of attempting to rig the state’s 2020 election results, leading to the first-ever photo of a former US president.
For his release from the Atlanta jail as he waits for trial, Mr. Trump was required to post a $200,000 (£160,000) bail bond.
He later called the situation “a fraud of justice”
This was his first police booking photo, despite the fact that this was his fourth crime arrest in five months.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, Mr. Trump later made a post for the first time since January 2021. He posted the URL of his website and a photo of himself in custody with the description, “Election meddling. Never give up!”
He joins the list of well-known Americans like Frank Sinatra, Al Capone, and Prof. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who have appeared in booking photos following their arrest.
- Trump’s criminal record is already a campaign symbol
- Don’t grin, sneer: What makes a decent mugshot?
- American response: He appears to be quite disturbed and downright repulsed.
Because he is leading the Republican field to take against President Joe Biden, a Democrat, in the upcoming presidential election, Mr. Trump claims that the cases against him are politically motivated.
He traveled back and forth on his own jet on Thursday afternoon from New Jersey, becoming the first former or current US president to ever be indicted.
In comparison to earlier court appearances this year, Mr. Trump was driven to Fulton County Jail by a larger convoy.
He stayed inside the building for almost twenty minutes. Outside, several of his fans gathered.
Mr. Trump appears in records posted on the jail’s website as a Caucasian male, 6 feet 3 inches tall, weighing 215 pounds (97 kilograms), with strawberry or blond hair, and blue eyes. His prison ID was P01135809.
- Inside the infamous Atlanta jail, where Trump turned himself in A helpful guide to Trump’s arrests
He informed reporters at the airport before leaving that he had the right to contest a vote’s outcome.
Trump, who frequently asserts falsely that significant election fraud occurred in 2020, said, “I thought the election was a rigged election, a stolen election.” “And I should have no problem doing it.
As you are aware, there are several individuals who have engaged in similar behavior throughout the years, including Hillary Clinton and [former candidate for governor of Georgia] Stacey Abrams.
Following his narrow loss to Mr. Biden in Georgia by fewer than 12,000 votes, Mr. Trump was charged last week along with 18 other defendants with meddling with election results.
In a phone call, the former president was overheard urging Georgia’s top election official to “find 11,780 votes” during the vote tally.
Racketeering, tempting a public official to break his oath of office, trying to take on a public authority, trying to commit forgery, and making false statements are among the 13 claims Mr. Trump is facing.
All charges against him are denied by him.
Before the deadline on Friday, half of his co-accused had already been lodged at Fulton County Jail. They consist of Mark Meadows and former White House Chief of Staff Rudy Giuliani.
Harrison Floyd, the head of Black Voices for Trump, is one of Mr. Trump’s co-accused and is currently being kept in custody after handing himself in on Thursday without a bond agreement, according to court officials.
A Georgia judge granted attorney Donald Chesebro’s request for a quick trial as a co-defendant. His case will now start on October 23.
Mr. Trump changed his top defense counsel, Drew Findling, with seasoned Atlanta criminal defense lawyer Steven Sadow just hours before turning himself in.
One of the terms of Mr. Trump’s release on bond is that he refrain from making any remarks, whether in person or online, that are meant to “intimidate” witnesses or fellow defendants. Additionally, he is only permitted to communicate with the other co-defendants through his attorneys.
Before traveling to Georgia, Mr. Trump kept attacking the prosecutor behind the case, Democrat Fani Willis of the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, whom he charges with attempting to destroy his presidential campaign.
By saying that “people are afraid to go outside and buy a loaf of bread,” he accused Ms. Willis of being responsible for murder and violent crime in Atlanta in a post on his Truth Social platform.
