Donald Trump’s arrest photo goes viral and raises $11 million

The arrest photo of former US president Donald Trump has made a motza after it was printed on merchandise and sold as part of a fundraising campaign.

The police photo taken of Mr Trump at the time of his arrest, also known as a mugshot, was printed onto T-shirts, coffee mugs and bumper stickers as part of the “Free Trump” collection set up to help fund his legal costs and presidential campaign.

So far the campaign has raised more than $11 million, with $6.4 million made in just one day.

Mr Trump recently made history after being indicted, or formally accused, four times over an attempt to overturn his 2020 presidential defeat.

He is now the first ever US president, current or former, to have an arrest photo.

The photo of Mr Trump scowling into the camera went viral after it was posted online.

TRUMP RETURNS TO SOCIAL MEDIA
Mr Trump made his long-awaited return to X, formerly known as Twitter, by posting the historic image as part of a comeback. The move could help to boost his appeal to voters as a martyr and the image has already gone viral as a meme.

Mr Trump had previously been banned from Twitter in 2021 following his role in the Capitol riots but was allowed to return to the renamed X after it was taken over by new owner Elon Musk.

The mugshot is now being sold on merchandise with slogans in support of the former president and his campaign for a second term of presidency in 2024.

Mr Trump has denied wrongdoing and claims the charges held against him are “election interference,” or an attempt to get in the way of his campaign for presidency.

But despite his arrest, Mr Trump has seen a boost in support from Republican voters and is currently the preferred candidate in the campaign to head the political party.

If Mr Trump wins the campaign to lead the Republicans, he will have the opportunity to run against Joe Biden for president in the 2024 elections.

Trump is the first current or former US president to land a criminal indictment, though former president from 1869 to 1877, Ulysses S. Grant, was briefly held in police custody for speeding in his horse and buggy.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• motza: a large amount of money
• indicted: formally accused of committing a crime
• martyr: someone who endured great suffering for their belief or cause
• Capitol riots: when rioters stormed the Capitol building in Washington in an attempt to halt the certification of Joe Biden as the new US president

EXTRA READING
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Could this be Twitter’s new logo?

QUICK QUIZ
1. How much money has the sale of Donald Trump’s mugshot merchandise made?
2. What is the money being raised for?
3. Why had Trump been suspended from Twitter in 2021?
4. How has Trump’s indictment affected his chances at running for president in 2024?
5. Why was former US president Ulysses S. Grant held in police custody during the 1800s?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Trump slogan
Design an item of merchandise with a slogan the Trump camp might want to use to promote his bid to run for president.

Draw your item of merchandise, use the mugshot of Donald Trump, and design a slogan to go front and centre of your merchandise item.

Share your item and slogan with your classmates.

Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
If Donald Trump gets found guilty of the offences he’s been charged with, do you think he should still be able to run, or win the presidency in the 2024 election?

State your reasons why or why not.

Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
To sum it up
After reading the article, use your comprehension skills to summarise in a maximum of three sentences what the article is about.

Think about:

• What is the main topic or idea?
• What is an important or interesting fact?
• Who was involved (people or places)?

Use your VCOP skills to re-read your summary to make sure it is clear, specific and well punctuated.