By: Thomas Horvath

The recent news everybody is talking about is former U.S. President Donald Trump being indicted. While this is expectedly dividing the country, one thing most can agree on is that the public wants the mugshot. Why would both sides of the political spectrum unanimously agree on releasing his mugshot?

The mugshot is the photo the police take of you when you are first arrested. Everyone has seen at least one mugshot in their life, and the police use them to make sure they are documented. Mugshots can make a person seem more innocent or more guilty of a crime. For instance, many attractive people that get mugshots end up going viral and getting some deal with a fashion brand. Other people that could be innocent but look scary can seem more guilty in a mugshot than if they had a nice photo. The public can easily be persuaded by appearances, which makes mugshots important to the case. But mugshots can also become a symbol in pop culture, either as a sign of defiance, counter-culture, or showing that this person is cool. Mugshots are very popular in the hip-hop community, as most rappers bank on them getting a cool mugshot that makes them look cool or tough. Some famous mugshots include Frank Sinatra’s, Elvis Presley’s, and O.J. Simpson’s. This is the genius of the Trump mugshot. Everybody would be wearing it on shirts or getting it on something small like a coffee mug. The political left would use a mugshot to mock Trump, while the right would use it as him being a political prisoner and as counterculture to the left. 

Whatever your opinion is on the Trump indictment, the mugshot can appeal to anybody that sees it. You can find it funny, scary, or something else, but the diverse reactions show that the mugshot can majorly affect the reputation of any person that has one.