The sheriff of Fulton County, Georgia, recalled the moment that Donald Trump sat for his mugshot at his jail, calling the moment "heartbreaking."
“On a personal level, it was heartbreaking to see someone of that stature who represents our country in that fashion having to go through this,” Sheriff Pat Labat said during an interview with CNN.
Mr Trump was booked last month in Fulton County after he was indicted in a racketeering case focused on his alleged attempt to steal the 2020 presidential election by requesting state officials "find" votes for him.
Mr Labat described Mr Trump as "very stoic" and "pretty silent" while his mug shot and fingerprints were being taken at the jail, which he supervises.
He said that the former president's bond paperwork was taken to "the motorcade so that we could get him in and off the premises as quickly as possible."
The sheriff also noted that the entire scene was "eerily quiet" due to the increased security at the jail.
“Having been in law enforcement for 32 years, having been in a jail environment equally as long, it was eerily quiet when you have that many security protocols in place,” he said.
Despite the sheriff's perspective that the mugshot was a "heartbreaking" moment, the former president certainly hasn't been shying away from the photo.
Almost immediately after the photo was released to the public, Mr Trump posted an image of the mugshot to his Truth Social and X/Twitter accounts. The photo included a link to Mr Trump's campaign website, where users were immediately met with a prompt to donate to him.
Donald Trump’s Fulton County, Georgia, mugshot— (AFP)
Mr Trump's capitalisation on the photo didn't end there. His campaign also immediately began selling merchandise featuring the photo.
The former president began selling t-shirts and mugs with his mugshot on them, and got his son, Donald Trump Jr, to advertise the merchandise on X/Twitter, assuring prospective buyers that "all proceeds" would go to funding his father's defence.
The Trumps are so protective over the image that the younger Trump complained about knockoffs on his "Triggered" podcast.
“I get other people have made [a] very good living doing the MAGA merch, even if none of the money actually goes toward the [Trump] campaign or the cause," he said.
He went on to say he'd rather supporters buy directly from the campaign rather than helping other vendors who are just "lining their own pockets."
