On August 24th, 2023, Former President Trump’s mugshot was unleashed amongst the public after surrendering to Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia. As a result, memes have gone viral, company’s have manufactured profitable items, and political propaganda has molded around this viral image.

The former President Donald Trump gave himself in to Georgia authorities after being indicted for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

On Thursday, August 24th at the Fulton County Jail, he got his fingerprints and mugshot taken. His height was recorded as 6 feet, 3 inches, and his weight as 215 pounds.

A grand jury indicted Trump and 18 others last week on racketeering and other charges after a two-year investigation. Then, Donald Trump’s mugshot got unleashed. 

The first company to use his mugshot, commercially, were none other than the Trump campaign itself in the form of political propaganda. Others, such as the Lincoln Project, made a shot glass with the acronym F.A.F.O. Various companies have also created profitable items asserting, “Free Trump, Never surrender!” Then, some photos with only his inmate number, 1135809, were published. 

Other non-political actors also seek to make profit off this occasion. Take for example, the punk band Green Day who were selling shirts with Trump’s mugshot. In addition to the other manufactures on google, promoting their merch of Trump, in the shopping section after searching “Trump mugshot.”

Despite the outrage and backlash, the Trump campaign managed to raise over $7 million, largely fueled by his mugshot. The media’s amplification of outrage through memes, merchandise sales, and mentions directly contributes to funding Trump’s legal endeavors, potentially explaining his initial decision to release the mugshot.