The latest on arrests in the Fulton County election interference case
- Former President Donald Trump was arrested at the Fulton County Jail on felony charges in connection with efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.
- In a first for his four indictments this year, Trump had his mug shot taken. It was released shortly after he left the jail.
- Trump used a local bail bondsman in Georgia to post his bond. He has already paid, a bonding agent confirmed.
- The Fulton County Jail, where Trump was booked, has a history of violence and poor conditions.
- District Attorney Fani Willis oversaw the sweeping investigation and the racketeering charges against Trump and 18 co-defendants. Many of them, including Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows, have already surrendered.
- A federal judge yesterday denied requests by two defendants — Meadows and Jeffrey Clark — to delay their arrests. All defendants face a deadline of noon tomorrow to voluntarily surrender.
Live coverage of this event has ended. Read the latest developments in the Georgia election probe here
Trump goes to jail and steals the spotlight from the rest of the 2024 GOP field
The Republican presidential candidates not named Donald Trump didn’t even get a full day to bask in the glory of their first debate performance before the former president once again took away the spotlight.
This time, he stole the show by going to jail.
Trump turned himself in for arrest tonight at the Fulton County Jail on felony charges in connection with efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results.
He quickly became the biggest thing on social media with the release of his historic mug shot. Although he’s been indicted four times this year, the Georgia case is the first with a booking photo.
Trump's motorcade arrives in Bedminster, New Jersey
Trump's motorcade arrived back at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, around 11:20 p.m.
Trump details booking experience in Newsmax interview
Shortly before he landed in Newark, New Jersey, Trump appeared for a roughly 25-minute phone interview on Newsmax, which in part detailed his experience surrendering in Fulton County.
"I came in, I was treated very nicely," Trump told Newsmax host Greg Kelly. "But it is what it is. I took a mug shot. I never heard the words 'mug shot'; that wasn't — they didn't teach me that at the Wharton School of Finance."
"It’s a very sad experience, and it’s a very sad day. For me, this is a weaponized Justice Department," he added.
Trump also defended Giuliani, who said after he surrendered yesterday that he had spoken with Trump by phone.
"He’s the one, and we all are the ones that question the election," Trump said. "The ones they should go after [are] the ones that rigged the election."
Trump also appeared to attack prosecutors, suggesting that those who brought the case were "animals" who were destroying the lives of his co-defendants, many of whom he claimed he did not know.
"These are animals. These are vicious animals that have destroyed the lives of these people," Trump said.
Trump's plane lands in New Jersey
Trump's private plane landed at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey around 10:30 p.m. ET.
He is expected to head back to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Alleged fake elector asks to move case to federal court
Shawn Still, who is accused of participating in the fake elector scheme, asked a federal court to move his case out of the Georgia state court where Willis filed charges, becoming the latest in a series of the defendants to have made the same appeal.
Still, who is now a state senator, argues in a court filing that the charges against him relate to his role as a "contingent United States presidential elector."
"In that role, Mr. Still was, or was acting under, an officer of the United States," he argues.
Still faces seven counts: two of first-degree forgery, two of making false statements, one of violating the Georgia RICO Act, one of criminal attempting to commit filing false documents and one of impersonating a public officer.
In his first tweet since January 2021, Trump posts his mug shot
Trump tonight returned to X, formerly known as Twitter, and posted his mug shot.
The post included a link to his website and reiterated his claims of "election interference." It was the same post he made to his Truth Social account this evening.
Trump last tweeted on Jan. 8, 2021. He was reinstated on Nov. 19, 2022, after Elon Musk took over the platform.
Trump fundraises off of mug shot
Trump is testing whether his recently released mug shot will translate into donations for his White House bid.
Tonight, he posted the mug shot to his Truth Social account with a link to his campaign fundraising website.
The Trump campaign is also selling T-shirts with his mug shot, captioned "NEVER SURRENDER!"
Sen. Tuberville: 'I’ve seen President Trump with that look a couple times'
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., just said on Newsmax that he recognizes Trump's expression in his mug shot.
“I’ve seen President Trump with that look a couple times playing golf with him when he’s missed a putt or I’m beating him in a round of golf," Tuberville said.
Trump's allies in Congress suggest his mug shot helps him
Congressional allies of Trump's immediately capitalized on the release of his Fulton County Jail mug shot.
“This is the photo that will win the 2024 Presidential election,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., posted on X.
“The 47th President of the United States,” Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, similarly captioned the photo.