Ex-President Donald Trump (right) surrendered in the Georgia election subversion case on Thursday night (Pictures: Getty Images/AP)
Ex-President Donald Trump turned himself in and was booked into jail after flashing a thumbs upon arriving in Georgia where he’s charged in an election subversion case.
It was the fourth time this year that Trump has surrendered to federal or local authorities for criminal charges. But Thursday night was different.
Trump had his mugshot taken as part of the booking process in the notorious Fulton County Jail, sources told The New York Times, and was also fingerprinted. In his first three surrenders, Trump was only fingerprinted and processed.
The ex-president’s booking was expedited compared to the usual time it would take for a civilian – the entire process took about 16 minutes, according to 11Alive.
Trump was not seen from aerial footage going into or out of the jail. His motorcade quickly made its way back to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where he had flashed a thumbs and smiled while walking down his plane for the unprecedented event.
Former President Donald Trump steps off his plane as he arrives at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Thursday evening (Picture: AP)
Trump’s mugshot was not immediately released on Thursday night. The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office has said it would release mugshots and other booking information daily at 4pm, meaning Trump’s photo may not be made public until Friday afternoon.
He turned himself in for charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. Trump faces 13 counts including racketeering, conspiracy, false statements and soliciting a public officer to violate oath of office.
Trump’s plane landed at the Atlanta airport around 7pm. His motorcade made its way from the airport without traffic disruptions and arrived at the jail in downtown Atlanta shortly after 7.30pm.
Leading up to Trump’s arrest, a crowd of hundreds of supporters, opponents and members of the media waited outside the jail for Trump to arrive. The majority seemed to be Trump fans, Axios reported. Among them was hard-right Georgia Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene, who spoke briefly to reporters and fellow Trump fans.
Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks to the media near the entrance of the Fulton County Jail, as former President Donald Trump was expected to turn himself in to be processed after his Georgia indictment (Picture: Reuters)
Streets surrounding the jail were blocked off, including one leading to the entrance of the facility.
Hours before turning himself over, Trump replaced his top attorney in Georgia, Drew Findling, with Steven Sadow.
Trump in the mid-afternoon boasted about having more than 231million views for his interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Wednesday night. In the interview – which aired at the same time as the 2024 GOP debate he ditched – Trump called his enemies ‘savage animals’.
‘But please excuse me, I have to start getting ready to head down to Atlanta, Georgia, where Murder and other Violent Crimes have reached levels never seen before, to get ARRESTED by a Radical Left, Lowlife District Attorney, Fani Willis, for A PERFECT PHONE CALL, and having the audacity to challenge a RIGGED & STOLLEN ELECTION,’ wrote Trump on his Truth Social platform.
The plane carrying former President Donald Trump taxis at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Thursday (Picture: AP)
He then revealed the exact time he would surrender: ‘THE EVIDENCE IS IRREFUTABLE! ARREST TIME: 7:30 P.M.’
Trump left his Bedminster Golf Club in New Jersey, where he is spending the summer, just before 4pm. His plane departed Newark International Airport about an hour later.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis requested that the trial for Trump and all 18 of his co-defendants begin on October 23. Trump opposed the planned trial date, according to his attorneys in an afternoon filing.
More than half of Trump’s 18 co-defendants in the sprawling racketeering case had turned themselves in as of Thursday evening, including his former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani on Wednesday. Early afternoon Thursday, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows surrendered.
Law enforcement officers drive near Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport as former President Donald Trump is expected to surrender (Picture: Reuters)
Willis is giving defendants until Friday at noon to hand themselves over, before issuing warrants for their arrest.
Trump on Monday agreed to a $200,000 bond and other release conditions. His bond is required to be paid in cash.
Each felony charge against Trump in the Georgia election case carries a potential prison sentence from one to 20 years, if convicted.
Trump planned to do an interview with the conservative network Newsmax at 9pm after being booked and released.
Trump faces 91 charges across four criminal cases against him.
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Ex-President Donald Trump turned himself to be booked into Fulton County Jail for charges over his efforts to overturn the Georgia election.