Former President Donald Trump’s campaign claimed in a fundraising email that he was “tortured” during his historic mug shot at the Fulton County Jail in Georgia.
Trump was booked in Georgia in 2023, which included being fingerprinted and photographed for a mug shot, a procedure that lasted around 20 minutes. The claim of Trump being tortured met with people mocking him online.
“I want you to remember what they did to me. They tortured me in the Fulton County Jail, and TOOK MY MUGSHOT. So guess what? I put it on a mug for the WHOLE WORLD TO SEE!” the fundraising email said.
Trump has often used his mug shot to generate funds, and the email claiming torture was sent on Monday to promote coffee mugs featuring the mug shot. Trump has frequently capitalised on his arrest and mug shot by launching merchandise shortly after his booking.
This merchandise includes T-shirts, mugs, koozies, and bumper stickers featuring his mug shot alongside the phrase “Never surrender”, reported The Hill. Trump was photographed for a mug shot in Georgia in August 2023. The Guardian said there were no allegations of mistreatment or torture during the time of the mug shot.
Trump was mocked online over his torture claim.
The far-fetched and unsupported claim led to comparisons with one of Trump’s political rivals, John McCain, the former Republican senator from Arizona. Trump had previously mocked McCain’s real experiences of torture and imprisonment during the Vietnam War, reported The Guardian.
“Trump is claiming he was “tortured” while getting his mug shot taken at the Fulton County jail. John McCain knew all about REAL TORTURE, unlike Trump who has NO IDEA what “TORTURE” is or he would have REQUIRED Hospitalization.trump is a LYING PIECE OF SHIT!” wrote one user on X.
“Cry baby Trump now claims that he was tortured when they took his mug shot. Truth is he tortured us with that mug,” wrote another user on X.
Other user on X mocked Trump’s claim of torture, asking, “How many criminals are laughing at him?”
“Trump thinks torture includes photographs and fingerprinting? Was he strip-searched? How many criminals are laughing at him?” wrote the third user on X.
“Tortured?! What does Trump mean by this? Like they inconvenienced/annoyed him or that they did something painful/harmful like pulling his fingernails out? I highly doubt the Secret Service allowed Atlanta PD to truly torture Trump,” wrote another user on X.
WHAT IS TRUMP’S GEORGIA CASE ALL ABOUT?
Donald Trump’s case in Georgia is one of four criminal cases he faces.
Trump faces 13 counts related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia, a crucial state where he lost to Joe Biden.
Last month, Trump was convicted in New York on all 34 counts of falsifying business records related to reimbursements for a hush money payment made before the 2016 election.
After arriving in a motorcade styled like a president’s, Trump was booked in Georgia, which included being fingerprinted and photographed for a mug shot, a procedure that lasted around 20 minutes.
There were no reports of mistreatment or torture during this time, reported The Guardian. However, Trump’s supporters have viewed the resulting photo as a badge of honour, which has been printed on campaign merchandise.
Trump has previously used political prisoner imagery while facing numerous felony charges. He has likened himself to Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who died mysteriously in a Siberian prison in February.
Additionally, Trump has referred to his supporters who were jailed for the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack as “hostages”, claiming they were trying to overturn Biden’s election victory, reported The Guardian.