Former President Donald Trump went almost three years without tweeting, first due to a ban from Twitter and then due to a restrictive contract with Truth Social, a rival service.
However, Trump tweeted Thursday for the first time since Jan. 8, 2021.
The former president posted a photo of his mugshot, taken earlier that day in Atlanta’s county jail. He accompanied it with a link to a fundraising campaign.
Twitter owner and former CEO Elon Musk commented on the former president’s break from routine. “Next-level,” Musk said in a repost.
Trump earned a reputation as a frequent tweeter while in office, but before Thursday, he hadn’t tweeted since leaving the White House
Take a look —
Next-level https://t.co/E81JKWTJPS
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 25, 2023
The booking photo instantly became part of the former president’s legacy as he confronts criminal charges in four different courts while seeking to reclaim the White House. His aides swiftly seized on the image, fundraising off the first mug shot in American history of a former president as representative of the persecution they contend Trump is encountering. His opponents, meanwhile, are likely to use it to remind voters of dangers in electing a president facing dozens of felony charges.
Trump was released on $200,000 bond and headed back to the airport for his return flight home to New Jersey, flashing a thumbs-up through the window of his sport utility vehicle as his motorcade left. Unrepentant but subdued after the brief jail visit, he again insisted that he “did nothing wrong” and called the case accusing him of subverting election results a “travesty of justice.”
Trump has been charged with racketeering, soliciting the violation of oath by a public officer, and more. He has denied any wrongdoing.
“If you challenge an election, you should be able to challenge an election,” he told reporters on the airport tarmac.
Trump’s Atlanta was notably different from the three past surrenders, unfolding at night and requiring him to visit a jail — rather than a courthouse.
And unlike in other cities that did not require him to pose for a mug shot, a booking photo of him was taken. It depicts Trump in his usual attire: a navy suit and red tie.
Before Trump’s plane had crossed North Carolina, his campaign was already using the image to solicit contributions on a fundraising site. “This mugshot will forever go down in history as a symbol of America’s defiance of tyranny,” said a Trump campaign fundraising email.
He also called into conservative TV channel Newsmax to talk about what he said had been “a very sad day for our country.”
Take a look at some of Trump’s remarks to reporters —
BREAKING: Former President Donald Trump speaks out after being booked at the Fulton County Jail.
"What they're doing is election interference." pic.twitter.com/3goj2WQpnG
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) August 25, 2023
Trump landed in Atlanta around 7 p.m. and was driven to jail for the booking process. He offered a wave and thumbs-up as he descended the steps of his private plane.
He completed the process in a brisk 20 minutes. As is customary, he provided officials with his physical measurements, and he was given an inmate number in return.
Charles Shaw, CEO of Foster Bail Bonds in metro Atlanta, said his company put up Trump’s $200,000 bond. Shaw said Trump paid his company 10% — or $20,000 — which is customary for bail bondsmen to charge.
Shaw said he doesn’t know Trump, but that Trump’s Atlanta defense attorneys have a close business relationship with his company.
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contribtued to this article.