Cable news recap: John Bolton, Trump lawyer react to former president’s mugshot

Former President Donald Trump was the highlight of Fox News, CNN and MSNBC coverage Thursday following the release of his mugshot after surrendering to Fulton County Jail in Atlanta.

Fox News — Trump’s trials are ‘all by design’

On Thursday night, Sean Hannity spoke to Trump’s legal spokeswoman, Alina Habba, about the “political prosecution” that Trump is facing on “Hannity.”

“This is unprecedented,” Hannity said. “We’ve never had a former president ever indicted. We’ve never had a chief political rival of the opposition party ever treated like this before.”

Habba said from a legal standpoint, the cases against Trump are “garbage.”

The Georgia case has been requested to begin trial on March 4, 2024. The following day is Super Tuesday, “One of the most important primary days for anybody that is running for president,” Hannity said.

He then asked Habba if she thought it was possible for Trump to run a campaign while dealing with four separate trials successfully.

Habba claims this is all by design. “The judges can’t move, they don’t want to move, and they want a speedy trial, but they’ve had years and years and years to investigate these cases, but they didn’t bring it till now, and now they need a speedy trial. It’s political election interference.”

CNN — Trump will use mugshot for political advantages

On “The Source” with Kaitlan Collins on Thursday night, former Trump national security adviser John Bolton was asked by Collins what it was like for him to see Trump’s mugshot.

“I thought it was, as with most things Trump does, carefully staged,” Bolton said. “They must have thought about what look they wanted. He could’ve smiled, he could’ve looked benign. Instead, he looks like a thug.”

Bolton added that he thinks it was intended to be intimidating for the prosecutors and judges.

Collins then asked Fulton how he thinks Trump will use his surrender to Fulton County Jail to his political advantage.

Fulton responded, “I think in the same way he’s used the other three indictments, and I think the evidence is that the indictments have proven the law of diminishing marginal utility if anything. They’re undercutting his support, they’re building it up.”

MSNBC — Trump’s mugshot will be infamous

In “The Last Word” with Lawrence O’Donnell, O’Donnell spoke of the impact that Trump’s mugshot will have on the nation.

“The first mugshot ever taken of a former president of the United States,” O’Donnell said.

According to O’Donnell, Trump’s mugshot will “instantly become the most famous mugshot in the history of photography.”

He added that the impact of this mugshot will last hundreds of years and be taught in history books, “where the only presidential mugshot will live forever.”

“That mugshot will define the lowest point in the history of the American presidency,” O’Donnell said.