# Donald Trump's Mug Shot and Booking

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-mug-shot-and-booking/989073>\
**Category:** Politics & Elections\
**Tags:** trump\
**Created:** [August 25, 2023, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-mug-shot-and-booking/989073 "2023-08-25T12:40:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2023, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-mug-shot-and-booking/989073/61 "2023-08-26T02:20:15Z")

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> [@CalMeacham](#):
>
> But to me this is part of the problem. This damned photo is going to be a rallying call and a symbol of Trump in a way that a standard blank-faced mug shot would never be. This is the “Che Guevara in a Beret” of Trump pictures. Attractive to his worshippers.

[![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F4VCDxKXIAAWeTj?format=jpg&name=large) ](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F4VCDxKXIAAWeTj?format=jpg&name=large)

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**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2023, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-mug-shot-and-booking/989073/62 "2023-08-26T02:23:28Z")

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> [@CalMeacham](#):
>
> His followers won’t think he looks scared. They’ll think he looks tough and defiant, and not at all like a cornered animal. You may not think so, but he’ll clean up on this image with fundraising. They’ll sell mugs, T-shirts, flags, and Og knows what else.
> 
> And they just handed him this opportunity, instead of insisting on a proper mug shot.

Yep. This is exactly his brand. He did well in that respect. The MAGAs are gonna eat it all up.

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**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2023, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-mug-shot-and-booking/989073/63 "2023-08-26T02:48:09Z")

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> [@CalMeacham](#):
>
> They’ll just like that he’s half-quoting _Galaxy Quest_.

“It’s the rugged pose” @5:30  
[Galaxy Quest - Deleted Scenes - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tZFaHn_fLo)

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**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2023, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-mug-shot-and-booking/989073/64 "2023-08-26T03:47:19Z")

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> [@CalMeacham](#):
>
> I suspect that one big reason mug shots so rarely show smiling faces isn’t because the accused is awed or shocked by their status, but because the photographer told them to “wipe that smile off their face”.

I think it’s more that someone who’s being mug-shotted has nothing to smile about.

Imagine that you’re having your photo taken because you’re guilty of murder and are about to spend the rest of your life in prison. One sure wouldn’t be grinning.

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**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2023, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-mug-shot-and-booking/989073/65 "2023-08-26T04:27:50Z")

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> [@Jumpbass](#):
>
> Man, I think it’s a horrible picture of him. He looks defiant, yes, but he also looks like a cornered animal. He’s off center (ain’t THAT the truth) and looks like hell. It does seem rehearsed, but I have no idea what he was going for. He looks like he was going for tough, but I think he looks scared and certainly angry. I don’t know how anyone would want to fundraise on it, but as we all know, he has no taste.

Finally a description that I can agree with. I think he looks like a furious toddler whose candy has been taken away and who is just seconds away from a full-blown temper tantrum.

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**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2023, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-mug-shot-and-booking/989073/66 "2023-08-26T04:30:32Z")

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> [@CalMeacham](#):
>
> Which brings up a question – doesn’t the photographer have control and final say over the image? I suspect that one big reason mug shots so rarely show smiling faces isn’t because the accused is awed or shocked by their status, but because the photographer told them to “wipe that smile off their face”. I don’t know it, but it seems likely. Although a couple of the people in this crop of indictments did smile.

More likely, it’s due to the advice of defense attorneys. Findlaw: “Every criminal defense lawyer we can find who has addressed the subject of mugshot facial expressions says the same thing: Do. Not. Smile.”

[https://www.findlaw.com/legalblogs/law-and-life/should-you-smile-for-a-mugshot/](https://www.findlaw.com/legalblogs/law-and-life/should-you-smile-for-a-mugshot/)

> …let’s say you end up in court, and a jury will decide your fate. Imagine their reaction when a clever prosecutor gives them Exhibit A, your beaming mugshot, and asks, “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, does this look like a remorseful person?”  
> Never smile for a mugshot. We rest our case.

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**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2023, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-mug-shot-and-booking/989073/67 "2023-08-26T04:35:56Z")

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“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, does this look like a remorseful person?”

> <https://twitter.com/MattBinder/status/1695136317661692301>

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**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2023, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-mug-shot-and-booking/989073/68 "2023-08-26T06:20:01Z")

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Why do all of them look like they’re looking up at the camera? Is it just the lighting or is the camera positioned higher than the typical person’s height?

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**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2023, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-mug-shot-and-booking/989073/69 "2023-08-26T06:27:21Z")

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> [@Miller](#):
>
> They’re definitely dressed in an old-timey “prisoner” outfit with the black and white horizontal stripes. I guess that’s supposed to be “generic henchman”?

I would guess that’s Ma Parker, played by Shelley Winters on the TV series.

[![](https://www.66batmania.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/MaParkerLegs.jpg) ](https://www.66batmania.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/MaParkerLegs.jpg)

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**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2023, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-mug-shot-and-booking/989073/70 "2023-08-26T11:22:35Z")

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Looks like you’ve cracked the case, Batman!

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**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2023, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-mug-shot-and-booking/989073/71 "2023-08-26T14:11:32Z")

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**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2023, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-mug-shot-and-booking/989073/72 "2023-08-26T14:54:46Z")

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I’ve seen a few sites that think Trump was deliberately imitating Hitler. I’m not convinced (although Trump’s having a book of Hitler speeches as bedtime reading is well-known), but this guy makes a case for it:

> **[Trump's mugshot deliberately imitates Hitler's](https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/25/2189692/-Trump-s-mugshot-deliberately-imitates-Hitler-s?utm_campaign=recent)**
>
> Obiviously, I’m not the only one who recognized that Trump deliberately imitated Adolf Hitler’s baleful stare in his mugshot. I knew I had seen that look before. When I went hunting for photos in the Daily Kos database to compare the two mugshots,...

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**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2023, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-mug-shot-and-booking/989073/73 "2023-08-26T20:16:40Z")

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[![](https://images.spot.im/image/upload/v200/640c70b85166d653a417923f4793e327) ](https://images.spot.im/image/upload/v200/640c70b85166d653a417923f4793e327)

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**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2023, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-mug-shot-and-booking/989073/74 "2023-08-26T20:41:46Z")

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Girth certificate … I love it!

Obama is fairly reliably stated to be 6’1" tall.

In that pic Obama’s eye level is about 2" above trump’s. Although trump seems to have worse posture (surprise surprise). If they both stood up straight I think Obama would still be 1 to 1.5" taller than trump. Assuming equal height shoes (big if). More likely trump’s shoes have more lift than Obama’s, so the actual height difference is even bigger.

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**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2023, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-mug-shot-and-booking/989073/75 "2023-08-26T20:49:15Z")

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I think it’s the photo of a guy who just realized how many Black corrections officers there are in Georgia, including the guy who just took his mugshot.

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**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2023, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-mug-shot-and-booking/989073/76 "2023-08-26T21:07:32Z")

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Here’s a wonderful gift idea: [a Trump mugshot shower curtain!](https://abcnews.go.com/Business/trump-mug-shot-merchandise-floods-online-sellers/story?id=102561211) No, you don’t have to thank me, I just know what people want. It’s a gift.

Though a mugshot mug is pretty clever.

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**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2023, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-mug-shot-and-booking/989073/77 "2023-08-26T21:12:07Z")

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I’m barely awake when I get in the shower; do you think I want that face staring back at me? Hell, no.

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**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2023, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-mug-shot-and-booking/989073/78 "2023-08-26T21:30:35Z")

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Is it ironic that he’s selling this image on a T-shirt with the caption “never surrender”. I mean, it’s the picture they took of him when he surrendered.

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**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2023, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-mug-shot-and-booking/989073/79 "2023-08-26T22:03:43Z")

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> [@Dewey\_Finn](#):
>
> I’m barely awake when I get in the shower; do you think I want that face staring back at me?

I swear I saw it lick its lips.

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**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2023, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trumps-mug-shot-and-booking/989073/80 "2023-08-26T22:22:21Z")

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[![](https://images.spot.im/image/upload/q_70,fl_lossy,dpr_3,h_30,w_100,c_scale/v200/b9680c5dfa8adb88d1f1003b80912840) ](https://images.spot.im/image/upload/q_70,fl_lossy,dpr_3,h_30,w_100,c_scale/v200/b9680c5dfa8adb88d1f1003b80912840)

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