According to The Hill, former national security adviser to President Trump, John Bolton, didn’t hold back in criticizing the booking photo released of Trump after he surrendered in response to election interference charges in Georgia. Bolton called the photo “carefully staged” and remarked that instead of looking benign or even smiling, Trump appeared to look like a “thug.” He shared his perspective during an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on the day of Trump’s surrender.
Trump’s surrender to Atlanta authorities was a procedural step in a complex racketeering case that alleges he played a central role in a scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. This case marks the first instance of a former U.S. president being charged and booked in a criminal case.
He could have smiled, he could have looked benign, instead he looks like a thug.
Interestingly, Trump swiftly turned his mug shot into a fundraising opportunity, seizing on the moment to garner support and donations. Bolton suggested that rather than weakening Trump’s support base, the indictments could potentially bolster it. He pointed out that historically, indictments have exhibited a law of diminishing marginal utility when it comes to undermining a politician’s popularity.
The spotlight now shifts to Kenneth Chesebro, one of the defendants in the case, whose trial is slated to commence on October 23. Bolton emphasized that the outcome of Chesebro’s trial could have profound political repercussions, either validating or undermining Trump’s narrative.
Some of the defendants have sought to move the trial from Georgia state court to federal court, a strategy that Trump’s attorneys are expected to adopt as well. Bolton criticized this approach, asserting that it might lead to prolonged delays that could extend beyond the 2024 election due to potential appeals reaching the Supreme Court.
