The walls of the Oval Office are adorned with portraits of presidents past, including the likes of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln, a fitting nod to the history of such a distinguished work space.
But one new addition, hanging in a gold frame in the West Wing, just outside the office, has caught the attention of eagle-eyed presidential enthusiasts — President Donald Trump’s mug shot.
The August 2023 picture was spotted in a picture posted to X by Margo Martin, Trump’s special assistant and communications adviser, taken during the president’s meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The mug shot is from when Trump turned himself in at the Fulton County Jail on charges that he interfered with Georgia’s elections. That case is in limbo while Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis appeals a Georgia Court’s ruling she be removed from the case.
On closer inspection, the framed shot appears to be a front page of the New York Post, from the day after the picture was taken. It can be seen over the shoulder of White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
West Wing mugshot is peak Trump https://t.co/I0rlWsQ4rk pic.twitter.com/q6o7W5dcKV
— Christian Datoc (@TocRadio) February 14, 2025
Once the image began to go viral on social media, Dan Scavino, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff, shared a short video focusing on the picture.
Trump originally posted the photo on his X account on Aug. 24, 2023, with the words: “ELECTION INTERFERENCE NEVER SURRENDER!” He also posted a link to his campaign website, selling merchandise related to the mug shot. His campaign would go on to fundraise more than $7 million days after the photo.
The mug shot is the first time in U.S. history that a president has had such a photo taken.
Political strategists speculated that Trump’s defiant look in the mug shot was strategically used to energize MAGA.
“Trump’s mug shot expression tries to convey strength and defiance, likely a strategy used to rile up his base,” said Chad Hankinson, a political science expert at Virginia Tech. “The likely interpretation for them is that he is fearless, powerful, confident, and undeterred by efforts to undermine him.”
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HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!
WELCOME TO THE BEAUTIFUL OVAL OFFICE @WHITEHOUSE
… pic.twitter.com/XGrW3Uu9H0
— Dan Scavino (@Scavino47) February 14, 2025
Outside of his first assassination attempt and the subsequent photo of Trump raising his fist, the photo is considered one of the most influential of his campaign.
The photo partly played a role in buoying Trump to the presidency after losing to former President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
