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Former President Donald Trump has been arrested in Georgia and booked on criminal charges, accused of attempting to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
Trump turned himself in to authorities at Atlanta's Fulton County Jail on Thursday night. He was indicted earlier this month on 13 felony counts that include violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, making false statements, conspiracy to commit forgery and criminal attempt to commit influencing witnesses.
The former president entered the jail shortly after 7:30 p.m. local time. Seconds later, the jail records show, Trump had been booked on all 13 charges. A mugshot was taken during his arrest and he was released from jail roughly 20 minutes after entering the facility.
Trump was described as a 6'3" white male with blond or strawberry blond hair, weighing 215 pounds. The height and weight measurements may be inaccurate, with the timing of the records appearing online seemingly leaving no time for officials to take and report measurements.
As a condition of Trump's release, the former president was required to pay a $200,000 bond. The bond order also stipulates that Trump "shall perform no act to intimidate" co-defendants or witnesses "or to otherwise obstruct the administration of justice." Prohibited behaviors include direct or indirect threats, including posts or reposts made on social media.
Protesters, including both supporters and critics of the former president, reportedly gathered outside the jail in anticipation hours before his arrival. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, one protester identified only as the "Big Bad Wolf" wore a "full furry mask" and held a sign reading, "Big Bad Wolf blew down houses. Trump tried to blow down democracy."
Just before Trump was arrested, a campaign fundraising email was sent to supporters in his name, titled, "My last email before my SHAM arrest." The email urges supporters to "make a contribution to peacefully defend our movement as the Deep State tries to JAIL me for life as an innocent man all because I put AMERICA first."
Trump announced his plan to surrender to "Radical Left" Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in a Truth Social post on Monday. Trump filled in further details on the timing of his expected arrest in a post on Thursday afternoon, insisting that Willis was arresting him for "having the audacity to challenge" what he falsely claims was a "RIGGED & STOLEN ELECTION."
Thursday's arrest in Fulton County was the fourth time that Trump has been arrested this year, as the four indictments include a total of 91 felony charges against the former president.
The Atlanta arrest differed from other Trump arrests in that it included a mugshot of the former president, an indignity that he was spared during each of his three prior bookings. All of Trump's Georgia co-defendants who have so far turned themselves in have also had mugshots taken.
In late March, Trump became the first U.S. president in history to be indicted on criminal charges, as an investigation by New York's Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg resulted in the ex-president facing 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Trump was arrested and arraigned a short time later, pleading not guilty to all charges.
Within months, Special Counsel Jack Smith's dual federal investigations into the former president resulted in two more felony indictments—one including 40 counts related to Trump's handling of classified documents found in his Florida home after his presidency, and one on four counts concerning the January 6 siege on the U.S. Capitol and attempts to reverse the 2020 presidential election outcome.
Trump also pleaded not guilty to his federal charges, maintaining his innocence in all cases and claiming to be the victim of political "persecution" and "election inference" while he campaigns as the leading Republican candidate in the 2024 presidential election.
While Trump is the first former or current president to be criminally indicted, he is not the first president to face arrest. That distinction likely belongs to Ulysses S. Grant, who was arrested while serving as president in 1872 for repeatedly speeding through Washington, D.C., in a horse and buggy, according to The New York Times.
Newsweek reached out to Trump's office for comment via email on Thursday night.
About the writer
Aila Slisco is a Newsweek night reporter based in New York. Her focus is on reporting national politics, where she ... Read more