Beware of fakes - Here’s the real Trump mugshot

By: nikolaj kristensen&
August 25 2023

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(Source Wikimedia Commons)

On Thursday, August 24, former U.S. president Donald J. Trump surrendered at the Fulton County jail in Atlanta on several charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election result in the state of Georgia. Trump spent about 20 minutes at the jail before being released on bond. 

During the process, he had his picture taken for police records. It is the first-ever mugshot of an American president. 

(Source: Wikimedia Commons/Altered by Logically Facts)

This is the fourth criminal case brought against the former president this year but the first instance in which he has had his mugshot taken. Law enforcement officials usually decide whether they take a mugshot. As Trump is widely recognizable, he has not previously had to have his picture taken. During a press briefing in early August, Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat stated that Trump would be treated like everybody else. “It doesn’t matter your status. We’ll have mugshots ready for you,” said the sheriff. 

Back in March, when Trump faced criminal charges in New York, fake mugshots began appearing on social media, some made with AI image-generation tools and others with Photoshop. Some showed Trump wearing a suit and tie, while others had Trump in an orange jumpsuit.

Fake mugshots of the former president also surfaced following the events of August 24. A recent mugshot, misusing the Fulton County Sheriff's Office logo, appeared on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), depicting Trump in a jacket, a white shirt, and a striped tie. A reverse image search showed that an old picture had been edited and shared online. The original picture was taken by photographer Carlos Barria for Reuters on November 20, 2020, and shows Trump in the moments before a press briefing at the White House in Washington, according to the image caption.

(Source Twitter/Wikimedia Commons/Scubaryan_/iamharmeetK/EverythingOOC/TeamTrump/raptalksk/Altered by Logically Facts)

There are many ways to verify if an image is fake or not. One is to search for the source or origin of the image using reverse image search tools like those provided by Google or TinEye. They can quickly show the origins of an image and if an older image is being used in a misleading context. 

Logically Facts has also put together a guide to help you detect AI-generated images. You can read the guide here.