Yesterday (April 4), was a historic day in America, but not for what you might think.
Former President Donald Trump was arrested and arraigned in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday on 34 counts of falsifying business records. While the politician pleaded not guilty, he also became the first former U.S. president ever to face criminal charges in the history of America.
There were many takeaways from that day, but none are more questionable than Trump not having his mugshot taken. Ahead of his highly publicized trial, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office concluded there was no reason for Trump to take the photo.
Donald Trump will most likely not have his mugshot taken. If he does, it will remain private attorney says👀 pic.twitter.com/SPvvUz2AX9
— Hoodlum (@onhoodlum) April 4, 2023
Many questioned the decision online, including rapper Boosie who believes such should apply to all celebrities.
“I wonder what Donald Trump’s attorneys filed so he didn’t have to get his mugshot taken?” Boosie asked on Twitter. “Smart move, but this has to go for all celebrities, right? Mugshots can damage someone’s brand.”
And whether the charges were big or small, nearly all celebrities have had their mugshot taken in the past. That is something that aided in Boosie’s point.
I WONDER WHAT @realDonaldTrump ATTORNEYS FILED SO HE DIDNT HAVE TO GET HIS MUGSHOT TAKEN? #smartmove BUT THIS HAS TO GO FOR ALL CELEBRITIES RIGHT? MUGSHOTS CAN DAMAGE SOMEONES BRAND‼️
— Boosie BadAzz (@BOOSIEOFFICIAL) April 4, 2023
For Trump, his 30-plus charges are felonies in the first degree, The New York Times reported. The indictment comes after his alleged role in providing hush money in 2016 to an adult film actress who claimed she had an affair with Trump.
In 2019, Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo passed a mugshot law. The legislative called snapshots of suspects “an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy,” Forbes revealed. As a result, the decision is now left up to authorities whether the photos are released. Before then, the state’s Freedom of Information Law applied, and officers had almost no choice but to publish mugshots.
And when asked about any potential mugshots of Trump, Alina Habba, one of his attorneys, told CNN, “Mugshots are for people so that you recognize who they are.”
Habba went on to insist that the former president is one of the most photographed people alive, so potential mugshots of him do not need to be published. She also argued that any leaked criminal pictures of him could damage his presidential campaign.