Trump allies learn the art of the mug shot, one flag pin and lipstick at a time

As Donald Trump became the first US president to have his mug shot taken, his allies all put on a unique show during their 15 minutes of shame.

The co-accused of Donald Trump.

Rudy Giuliani wore a flag pin. Lawyer Jenna Ellis, in bright lipstick, smiled. Ray Stallings Smith, another lawyer, donned a royal blue polo shirt, his hair unkempt.

There may be subtle messages behind the mug shots that former President Donald Trump’s associates have taken this week as they surrender at Georgia’s Fulton County jail on state election-subversion charges, crisis-communication experts say.

The mug shot is a classic jail ritual that authorities use to identify people facing charges. Even if the person is released, their moment in jail is immortalized in a mug shot and often enshrined in the public record. The images, which wind up in news stories and sometimes on T-shirts and in memes, can shape public narratives.

Trump and 18 co-defendants were ordered to surrender by noon on Friday on charges they operated a criminal enterprise to overturn his 2020 loss in Georgia. Each is being booked into jail, where they are fingerprinted and photographed.

Trump, who surrendered Thursday night, was expected to have a mug shot taken for the first time since he was charged earlier this year in a separate New York case. This is the fourth criminal case the former president is facing.

Former US president Donald Trump and his former attorney Rudy Giuliani have their mug shots taken.

The mug shots in the Trump case, typically released by Fulton County authorities this week around 4 p.m., have drawn fans and hecklers. Onlookers disseminate the images on social media and are designing merchandise featuring prominent people in Trump’s orbit. Trump’s mug shot is the most anticipated of the bunch.

The mug shots coming out of Atlanta this week have been both cinematic and mundane. The photos showed political power players standing at unflattering angles in bad lighting. Giuliani, once a federal prosecutor, looked displeased to be at the bottom rung of the justice system.

“I thought Giuliani’s face was just about right. He didn’t look besieged and he didn’t look thrilled,” said Eric Dezenhall, the chairman of Dezenhall Resources, a crisis-management firm.

It is best for defendants to keep a neutral expression, Dezenhall said. White-collar defendants can use the photos to show a judge and jury they take their cases seriously.

Jeremy Meeks became an internet sensation after his mug shot was released after being arrested on weapon charges.

Giuliani may have been trying to evoke memories of his image after Sept. 11, 2001 by wearing an American flag pin, said Molly McPherson, a crisis-communications expert. As the mayor of New York City, Giuliani was recognized for his compassionate stewardship after the terrorist attacks.

“This is a legacy mug shot,” McPherson said. “He wants people to remember he was ‘America’s mayor’ at one time.” Ellis and former Georgia GOP chairman David Shafer took a page from a celebrity playbook by smiling in their photos, just like Justin Bieber, Shia LaBeouf and others before them. Politicians have smiled in their mug shots, too, including former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, booked in 2014 on abuse-of-power charges, and former Sen. John Edwards (D., N.C.), charged in 2011 with violating campaign-finance rules. Neither was convicted.

Margot Robbie as Barbie, having her mug shot taken in the 2023 film.

Ellis stood out in her mug shot because she wore bright lipstick, McPherson said.

“It sends a signal that she cares about how she’s portrayed in this case in the press,” McPherson said, “and wants to be portrayed as more glamorous and not having a care in the world.” Lawyers for Ellis, Shafer, Smith and Giuliani didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday. Giuliani and Shafer have previously denied wrongdoing. Ellis has previously said she never lied about the election.

French officials took the first mug shot in the 19th century when they needed to keep track of repeat offenders, said Jonathan Finn, a communication-studies professor at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. Mug shots are now the most well-known part of the jail booking process and have been satirized on film and television, including in this year’s “Barbie” movie.

Socialite Paris Hilton has her mug shot taken in Las Vegas in 2010.

Finn, who has studied the evolution of police photography, said there isn’t much room for self-expression in mug shots beyond a person’s countenance and outfit.

Most of the men in Trump’s Georgia case wore suits in their mug shots. Smith, an Atlanta-area lawyer typically photographed in suits with neat hair, wore a blue polo shirt. A dark lock of hair fell across his forehead.

Dezenhall said there is no winning when it comes to a mug shot. It is a public-relations nightmare.

“If you look like you’ve just been hit by a truck, it leads to discussion of how the mighty have fallen,” he said. “If you’re grinning broadly, it looks like you’re not taking it seriously.” The Wall Street Journal