Out of jail, Donald Trump gets trolled for 'surrender' blunder on social media post

Former US President Donald Trump made his first tweet in over two-and-a-half years on Thursday, drawing swift mockery from his critics due to a notable irony in his message. The former president shared his mug shot following his arrest in Georgia, accompanied by the phrase "NEVER SURRENDER!" The post marked his return to micro-blogging platform X (formerly Twitter) since his suspension from the platform in January 2021, a suspension initially due to incitement of violence but later reversed under the ownership of Elon Musk.

Trump also posted the same "NEVER SURRENDER!" message on his Truth Social platform.

However, as many observers pointed out, the term "surrender" precisely described what he had just done: he had surrendered to authorities in Fulton County, undergoing processing, being photographed, and subsequently released on bail in his election interference case.

The former US President was apprehended at a Georgia detention facility, facing charges of racketeering and conspiracy. After a brief stay at Atlanta's Fulton County Jail, which lasted less than half an hour, Trump left in a motorcade bound for the airport. This arrest marked a significant moment, as Trump, along with 18 co-defendants, stands accused of colluding to overturn the 2020 election results in the southern state.

During the booking process, Trump, a 77-year-old and a frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, had his mug shot taken, marking an unprecedented event for any former or serving US president. In the photograph released by the sheriff's office, he wore a dark blue suit, white shirt, and red tie while scowling at the camera.

In the records of the Fulton County Jail, he was assigned the inmate number "PO1135809" and listed with a height of six feet three inches (1.9 meters), a weight of 215 pounds (97 kilograms), and his hair colour as "Blond or Strawberry."

Trump spent approximately 20 minutes at the Fulton County jail in Atlanta before being released upon his compliance with a $200,000 bond and additional release conditions, including refraining from using social media to intimidate co-defendants or witnesses in the case, a set of conditions previously arranged by his legal team.

Addressing reporters after his arrest, Trump described it as a "very sad day for America" and claimed that the situation was a "travesty of justice," asserting his innocence.

• 2020 US election results
• 2024 Republican presidential nomination
• Donald Trump
• Donald Trump arrested
• Election fraud
• Georgia
• Mugshot
• Racketeering
• US Presidential campaign
• US politics
• conspiracy
• indictment