“He literally just surrendered”: Trump declares “never surrender” in first tweet in years

The former president returned to the social network to cash in on his mug shot

By Igor Derysh

Managing Editor

Published August 25, 2023 8:29AM (EDT)

The mugshot of Former U.S. President Donald Trump displayed on a smartphone. (Mustafa Ciftci/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The mugshot of Former U.S. President Donald Trump displayed on a smartphone. (Mustafa Ciftci/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump's first tweet since the aftermath of the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot was his mug shot from Fulton County Jail. "ELECTION INTERFERENCE!" the post said. "NEVER SURRENDER!" 

But Trump "literally just surrendered to law enforcement," wrote former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti. "This is a picture of you, surrendering, my guy," quipped Crooked Media's Brian Beutler. Trump in an interview with Newsmax Thursday night described being booked in jail as a "terrible experience" even as he said he was "treated very nicely." Trump also claimed he'd "never heard the words 'mug shot' — they didn't teach me that at the Wharton School of Finance." Trump's campaign immediately started selling $47 t-shirts featuring his mug shot after he was booked. Donald Trump Jr. also promoted a series of Trump merch bearing his mug shot, vowing that all profits are "going to be donated to the Legal Defense Fund to fight the tyranny & insanity we're seeing before us. Unlike many, I won't try to profit from this but will do what I can to help."


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