(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) Following his fourth arrest in Fulton County, Ga., former President Donald Trump shocked supporters and his partisan adversaries alike by returning to the platform formerly known as Twitter to defiantly post his new mugshot.
https://t.co/MlIKklPSJT pic.twitter.com/Mcbf2xozsY
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2023
Leftists had eagerly hoped to use it as a point of ridicule—and had already begun doing so with the mugshots of some of Trump’s 18 other co-defendants in the lawfare case that creatively re-imagines racketeering laws to criminalize political challenges—a chilling development for democracy.
Not surprisingly, many leftist accounts even tweeted out the same joke, as if Democrats had issued an encyclical to their loyal operatives telling them what the messaging should look like concerning the mugshots.
Worst Zoom conference call ever pic.twitter.com/JPeCJIVnBT
— A Rational Fear (@ARationalFear) August 24, 2023
But Trump’s triumphant return to Twitter quickly derailed that, with his 9:38 p.m. tweet garnering nearly a million likes overnight.
It was likely to become one of the most iconic tweets in history by the end of Friday.
Trump also sent out the mugshot in a fundraising email, and other supporters appeared to have begun marketing the mugshot as T-shirts and various apparel items, signaling MAGA’s full intent to embrace the image as a symbol of its own.
— Clown World ™ 🤡 (@ClownWorld_) August 25, 2023
It called to mind a backfired stunt during the 2022 election, in which the Biden administration sought to label Trump supporters as “ultra-MAGA” only to find that none considered it to be an insult.
It was unclear what the political impact of the attack was. Democrats were able to neutralize a projected “red wave” election, although mitigating factors, such as the presence of widespread mail-in ballots, raise questions over how much of that support was authentic.
Trump’s tweet on Thursday also garnered public support from some of his outspoken allies, including former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, who is believed to be in contention for a spot as his running mate in the 2024 election.
Mr. President,
We are with you ALL THE WAY. pic.twitter.com/XNaz0qrZXg— Kari Lake (@KariLake) August 25, 2023
Meanwhile, another top contender for the vice-presidential spot, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, posted a photo of herself in a mugshot style, in solidarity with Trump.
I stand with President Trump against the commie DA Fani Willis who is nothing more than a political hitman tasked with taking out Biden’s top political opponent. “Persecution, not prosecution.” #MAGAMugshot pic.twitter.com/BLAJ16g6Je
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) August 24, 2023
Ben Sellers is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/realbensellers.
