Right outside the Oval Office hangs a framed photo of President Trump’s mug shot, as featured on the cover of a New York tabloid.
The image, which shows Trump scowling to the camera for his booking shot at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, has become a symbol. That booking photo was taken for a Georgia case related to his efforts to overturn the state’s 2020 presidential election result. Experts say many of Trump’s supporters see the dozens of felony convictions against the president in a separate case in New York as part of an establishment ploy to suppress their discontent.
“When Trump’s mug shot was released in August 2023, he and his supporters immediately embraced it, and it became a really common feature on Trump-themed merchandise and in Trump favorable memes,” said Cara Finnegan, a professor of communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Read this story now for free
To continue reading, sign up for our newsletter and get unlimited access to WABE.org
You can select your preferences for news and local content. We will never share your email address. Learn how your newsletter sign-up will support WABE and Public Media
