Former President Donald Trump is profiting from a claim that he was 'tortured' when he was booked into Georgia’s Fulton County jail in August 2023.
Knewz.com has learned that this assertion was disseminated in an email advertising a mug with Trump’s mugshot.
“I want you to remember what they did to me,” the email reads.
“They tortured me in the Fulton County Jail and TOOK MY MUGSHOT. So guess what? I put it on a mug for the WHOLE WORLD TO SEE!” the email selling the allegedly limited edition mug for $47.00 apiece says.
Right-leaning news corporation and onetime Trump-ally, Fox News, also picked up on the email and cited an excerpt from the United Nations (UN) Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
According to the UN, torture is an “act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person.”
According to the New York Post, the entire booking process on August 25, 2023, took 20 minutes before the mugshot was released to the public.
Another report by CNN News noted that Trump was processed and released. The article further noted: “Jail records showed him at 6 foot 3 inches tall and weighing 215 pounds, with blue eyes and blond or strawberry hair. His booking number was P01135809.”
Following his brush with Georgia’s law enforcement, he sent an email to supporters and potential donors calling the jail “poor and disgraceful.”
According to BBC News, the email also claimed that the facility was “worse than you could even imagine,” and that it was violent and “falling apart.”
The publication further noted that while the penal facility was not in the best of shape and struggled with overcrowding, Trump never felt any of the discomforts suffered by those still incarcerated due to their inability to afford bail.
Trump’s claim of torture grabbed the attention of netizens who refuted the idea.
One such entity on social media quipped: “Trump is claiming he was ‘tortured’ while getting his mug shot taken at the Fulton County jail.”
“John McCain [former Republican presidential candidate] knew all about REAL TORTURE, unlike Trump who has NO IDEA what ‘TORTURE’ is or he would have REQUIRED Hospitalization,” the comment on X read.
“Tortured?! What does Trump mean by this? Like they inconvenienced/annoyed him or that they did something painful/harmful like pulling his fingernails out?” quipped another.
“I highly doubt the Secret Service allowed Atlanta PD to truly torture Trump.”
“Trump thinks torture includes photographs and fingerprinting? Was he strip-searched? How many criminals are laughing at him?” asked an account dedicated to politics.
The mugshot, repurposed for resale, was initially met with massive fanfare when it first became public in August 2023. According to Politico, the former president raised $7.1 million, $4.18 million of which landed in the Trump campaign’s coffers within 24 hours of MAGA’s leader being booked into jail.