When was Trump's mugshot taken? The US President frames the photo to hang outside the Oval Office

According to photos taken inside the White House, President Donald Trump has framed and placed his notorious 2023 mugshot outside the Oval Office. An open doorway revealed the New York Post's cover of the booking photo prominently displayed in the West Wing. The photo was captured on 13 February 2025 during a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The backdrop shows his framed mugshot hanging in an open doorway directly outside the Oval Office. It can be seen in the image below:

Trump's mugshot was taken at the Fulton County Jail in Georgia in August 2023, and it is currently framed and on display in the corridor leading to the Oval Office. He became the first sitting or former American president to have a police booking photo taken, making it a momentous and unusual event in American history.

The arrest was a component of a larger indictment that charged Trump and eighteen other defendants with trying to rescind Georgia's 2020 presidential election results. Trump and co-defendants were accused by prosecutors of participating in a criminal conspiracy to tamper with the electoral process.

The president has denied all accusations against him. He was freed on a $200,000 bail after turning himself in to authorities in Atlanta.

The president swiftly made use of the mugshots as a sign of defiance, despite the controversy surrounding the case. His campaign sold a range of items with the image on them, such as posters, coffee mugs, and T-shirts, and within days of its debut, raised over $7.1 million. The monochrome image, which showed the president looking straight into the camera with a stern expression, came to symbolize his legal struggles and his ongoing power over his supporters.

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Trump's legal battles and the DOJ's response under his second administration

Since winning a second term in the 2024 election, the Department of Justice has announced structural changes, such as case reviews and staff changes, since the start of his second term. Pam Bondi, his recently appointed attorney general, has pledged to restructure the Department of Justice and investigate what Trump and his supporters claim are politically motivated prosecutions against him.

Some officials engaged in previous investigations have been removed as part of the personnel changes the Department of Justice has made. Additionally, the charges were dismissed in compliance with the Department of Justice's long-standing policy of not pursuing a sitting president since two of Trump's ongoing cases were federal prosecutions.

Still pending is the Georgia racketeering case that resulted in the mugshot. Trump's legal team has said that continuing procedures have to take into account his role as president. His defense team contends that he should be shielded from state-level prosecutions since he is president; the courts are now considering this claim.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was banned from pursuing the case due to accusations of professional misconduct, adding to its turbulence.

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A mugshot that may have inspired a presidential portrait

The president's recently published official presidential image seems to be remarkably similar to his notorious booking photo, a move that has garnered a lot of attention. His most recent official image, which reflects the focused looks and slightly wrinkled brow seen in his mugshot, shows him with a serious face.

In contrast to his first official portrait from his first term, which showed him standing erect with a wide smile. The public has taken notice of the mugshot's resemblance to the official photograph. Showing a period of legal vulnerability into a symbol of fortitude and tenacity.

An important turning point in President Trump's presidency was reached when the framed mugshot was chosen to be displayed outside the Oval Office. It is now a key component of his political identity, having previously been a sign of legal issues. Critics describe it as a contentious decision for a sitting president, while supporters view it as evidence of resiliency.

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Whether as a symbol of political defiance or tenacity, the mugshot now has a permanent place in history and the White House, serving as a daily reminder of the legal struggles and the rebellious narrative he espouses during his second term.