• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it

2

Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’

3

The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families

1

Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it

2

Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’

3

The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
PoliticsDonald Trump

Donald Trump’s mug shot goes viral online—even though he didn’t take one

By
Ali Swenson
Ali Swenson
and
The Associated Press
The Associated Press
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Ali Swenson
Ali Swenson
and
The Associated Press
The Associated Press
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 4, 2023, 8:21 PM ET
Former President Donald Trump.
Former President Donald Trump.Seth Wenig—Associated Press/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Donald Trump staring directly at the camera in a black T-shirt. Giving a side-eye in a suit and striped tie. Scowling in an orange jumpsuit.

A slew of such images claiming to show the former president’s mug shot spread online Tuesday — even though Trump didn’t actually take one during his booking and arraignment in a Manhattan criminal court.

The fabricated images, at least some of which were created using artificial intelligence text-to-image generators, fooled some social media users looking to track down the visual symbol of Trump being charged for 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

Trump, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, also raised money off his own fake mug shot, which his campaign plastered on a T-shirt in an email to supporters Tuesday.

Here’s a look at the facts.

CLAIM:

Images circulating on social media show mug shots of the former president captured on Tuesday.

THE FACTS:

These images were created or manipulated to look like booking photographs.

After he was taken into custody on Tuesday, Trump was fingerprinted as part of the booking process, but his mug shot was not taken, according to two law enforcement officials. The officials could not publicly discuss details of the process and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Still, more than 10 fabricated images purporting to show Trump’s police photo circulated across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok on Tuesday, some more realistic than others.

“On a level from 1-10 how happy are you that Trump has been ARRESTED?” wrote one Twitter user who shared a fake booking photo in a post that was liked more than 13,000 times.

The images circulating on social media depicted the former president in outfits ranging from a suit and tie to a T-shirt, and in front of numbered walls or gray and white backdrops.

Trump’s campaign also fabricated its own mug shot, which it emailed to supporters on an image of a T-shirt with the words “NOT GUILTY.” It was created by editing height markers and a slate with fake booking details into an existing headshot of the former president.

Some users sharing other variations acknowledged they had been created using AI tools — which were also behind a flood of fabricated images last month purporting to show Trump being violently arrested by New York City police officers.

Many of the bogus mug shots bore hallmarks of such synthetic artwork, such as nonsensical numbered text in the background instead of a height chart often seen in booking photos.

While some posts were shared in clear jest, AI images “lend themselves to context-collapse,” said Sam Gregory, executive director at Witness, a nonprofit working on using video technology for human rights.

That means if they lose their initial context as parody or satire, the images can circulate as misinformation or disinformation.

“Like other manipulated media, the speed of sharing exceeds the speed of fact-checking,” Gregory said, and “people share what they want to believe.”

Subscribe to Well Adjusted, our newsletter full of simple strategies to work smarter and live better, from the Fortune Well team. Sign up today.
About the Authors
By Ali Swenson
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By The Associated Press
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Politics

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Politics

audrey
CommentaryInsurance
Aflac general counsel: Georgia lawmakers took a crucial step forward on sickle cell disease – but there’s more work to be done
By Audrey Boone TillmanJune 19, 2026
24 hours ago
Pete Hegseth and Emil Michael walk next to each other.
AIPentagon
The Pentagon claims a 1,775% boost in AI use is paying off the DOGE promise a year later—but adoption is still under 50%
By Sasha RogelbergJune 19, 2026
1 day ago
The week that changed AI: Inside Trump’s Anthropic crackdown, and how a phone call from Amazon CEO Andy Jassy triggered the chaos
AIAnthropic
The week that changed AI: Inside Trump’s Anthropic crackdown, and how a phone call from Amazon CEO Andy Jassy triggered the chaos
By Sebastian Herrera and Beatrice NolanJune 18, 2026
1 day ago
‘Iran just basically put its wish list into this’: The Trump-Iran agreement gives Iran a free pass on nuclear treaty violations pending final deal
Middle EastDonald Trump
‘Iran just basically put its wish list into this’: The Trump-Iran agreement gives Iran a free pass on nuclear treaty violations pending final deal
By Mia OsmonbekovJune 18, 2026
2 days ago
Sanders stands at a podium with a poster that reads "fight oligarchy"
PoliticsBernie Sanders
‘Make AI work for ordinary people’: Bernie Sanders wants to pay you $1,000 every year from a government stake in AI companies 
By Jacqueline MunisJune 18, 2026
2 days ago
z
PoliticsElections
Zohran’s primary of power: the Democrat that Republicans fear most runs New York City
By Steve Peoples, Anthony Izaguirre, Matt Brown and The Associated PressJune 18, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
Environment
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
By Sydney LakeJune 19, 2026
22 hours ago
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’
Success
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 18, 2026
2 days ago
The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
Economy
The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
By Jacqueline MunisJune 17, 2026
3 days ago
Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer publicly dismissed Chrome as a 'rounding error'—but Google’s CEO says he used the jab as fuel to win the browser-wars
Success
Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer publicly dismissed Chrome as a 'rounding error'—but Google’s CEO says he used the jab as fuel to win the browser-wars
By Preston ForeJune 17, 2026
3 days ago
Exclusive: Azzi Fudd joins Project B, the international league chasing a billion-dollar opportunity in global basketball
MPW
Exclusive: Azzi Fudd joins Project B, the international league chasing a billion-dollar opportunity in global basketball
By Emma HinchliffeJune 19, 2026
19 hours ago
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
Big Tech
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
By Tristan BoveJune 15, 2026
5 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.