Trump makes history preparing for mugshot in Georgia 2020 election trial

Donald Trump is set to make history on Thursday as the first former US president to submit to a mug shot when he appears at an Atlanta jail to face criminal charges of trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat in Georgia – even as the local district attorney proposed starting the trial in less than two months.

Hours before his expected evening jail appearance, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in a court filing called for a trial date of Oct. 23, an accelerated timeline for a sprawling case that includes 18 defendants alongside Trump. Willis previously had proposed a March 4 start.

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Trump, 77, already has entered uncharted territory as the first former US president to face criminal charges, though the four cases filed against him have not slowed his momentum as the front-runner in the race for the Republican nomination to run against Democratic President Joe Biden in next year’s election.

Now the businessman-turned-politician who for years hosted a reality TV show is due to join the ranks of gangster Al Capone, crooner Frank Sinatra and other high-profile Americans who have posed for jailhouse photographs.

The image is certain to be circulated widely by Trump’s foes and supporters alike.

“We want to put it on a T-shirt. It will go worldwide. It will be a more popular image than the Mona Lisa,” said Laura Loomer, 30, a Republican former congressional candidate who mingled with other Trump supporters outside the jail on Thursday morning.

One of the most recognizable people in the world, Trump has not had to submit to a photo in the other three cases. But fake mug shots have circulated online since shortly after he was first indicted in Manhattan in March on charges involving hush money paid to a porn star ahead of the 2016 election.

Some of his co-defendants already have been booked. Rudolph Giuliani, the former New York mayor, was stone-faced in his mug shot while lawyer Jenna Ellis smiled. All 19 defendants must surrender by Friday.

Trump in the Georgia case faces 13 felony counts including racketeering, which is typically used to target organized crime, for pressuring state officials to reverse his election loss and setting up an illegitimate slate of electors to undermine the formal congressional certification of Biden’s victory.

The proposal by Willis for an October trial start is a revision that reflects a court filing the day earlier by one of the defendants – Kenneth Chesebro – demanding a speedy trial. Trump’s team is expected to push for a later date but has not yet made a proposal in court filings.

Trump, due to enter a plea in the Georgia case on Sept. 5, has pleaded not guilty in the other three other cases. He has denied wrongdoing and has called all the cases politically motivated.

FOUR CRIMINAL INDICTMENTS

In addition to the New York state charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Trump faces two sets of federal charges brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith – one case in Washington involving election interference and one in Miami involving classified documents he retained after leaving office in 2021.

He faces 91 criminal counts in total.

Trump has agreed to post $200,000 bond and accepted bail conditions that would bar him from threatening witnesses or his 18 co-defendants in the Georgia case. Trump on Wednesday added Atlanta criminal defense attorney Steve Sadow to his legal team, a court filing showed.

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered that the airspace over the jail be closed beginning around 6:45 p.m. ET (2245 GMT), citing “VIP movement.” The jail has a reputation for grim conditions that have inspired rap songs and prompted an investigation by the US Justice Department.

Republicans who control the US House of Representatives said on Thursday they would investigate whether Willis improperly coordinated with federal prosecutors. They previously launched an investigation of Bragg, who accused them of a “campaign of intimidation.”

About a dozen Trump supporters, some holding flags, gathered outside the jail awaiting his arrival.

“I’m here because I’m appalled at what’s happening,” said Bob Kunst, 81, a retiree who said he had driven from Miami Beach and stood outside the jailhouse with a homemade sign that read “Lock Biden Up.”

Trump’s planned jailhouse visit comes a day after his rivals in the race for the Republican presidential nomination met in Milwaukee for their initial debate. Trump skipped that event, instead sitting for a pre-taped interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

“I’ve been indicted four times – all trivial nonsense,” Trump said.

Trump’s lead in opinion polls in the Republican race has widened since his first indictment but political analysts have said his legal woes could alienate independent voters he would need to win a rematch with Biden.

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