A grand jury in Georgia found Donald Trump guilty of attempted election fraud. He was temporarily detained and identified by the police. Anyway, soon after Donald Trump released his police photo, it became a bestseller and his fundraising income skyrocketed.
On 14 August 2023, a grand jury in Georgia agreed to indict Donald Trump on charges of attempted election interference and election fraud. Under American law, Mr Trump does not have to go directly to jail, but he is required to report to the Fulton County county jail in Georgia on 25 August 2023. There, he will be booked by the Department of Identification and will be allowed to leave after paying a pre-determined bail. The actual sentencing hearing is scheduled for 4 March 2024.
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One day later, on the 5th of March 2024, the Republican primaries will take place in many American states. In the primaries, the Republicans decide who will be their official candidate for the 2024 presidential election. Therefore, Tuesday 5 March 2024 is called Super Tuesday.
Donald Trump’s fingerprints – the press sensation
So far Donald Trump has successfully avoided being fingerprinted or photographed, but now the authorities have summoned him to the Fulton County Jail in the state of Georgia and asked him to do just that.
On Thursday evening, 24 August 2023, officers from the Fulton County Police Department near Atlanta pressed his fingers first into black ink and then onto a piece of paper. He was then photographed frontally and then in profile. In addition, Donald Trump had to provide precise information about himself. For an ex-president, such a procedure should be humiliating, but Donald Trump showed no sign of it as he stood before the press and announced that what had just happened was a „farce of justice“ and that he had „done nothing wrong“.
Donald Trump’s mug shot – a sales sensation
The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office released Mr Trump’s mug shot shortly after it was taken, and within hours it had gone viral. Trump himself posted his photograph on X, formerly Twitter, and on Truth Social, his own social media platform.
Mr Trump’s campaign spokesman reported that Donald Trump had raised more than seven million US dollars in donations since his mug shot was posted. The day of his formal arrest was the most lucrative of his entire campaign.
Donald Trump fans stand by him
Trump admirers continue to bravely stand by their idol. Waving their flags outside the Fulton County Jail, they say they will support him because he is being „ridiculously indicted week after week“ and it is „so stupid“. Some are even calling for the arrest of President Joe Biden, saying this is a „political prosecution that has now turned into a political criminal prosecution“. It is therefore not surprising that, according to the polls, Donald Trump is well ahead of his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination.
It seems that neither the courts nor politics can control a Donald Trump. The lawsuits against him are unlikely to deter his supporters, but rather to energise them to back him even more.
To the German translation of this article: Schuldig – Donald Trump muss ins Gefängnis