Alina Habba Tried To Take Credit For Donald Trump's Mugshot Glare

In March 2023, Donald Trump made history as the first president to be indicted on criminal charges. The following August, he made history again when Trump became the first-ever former commander-in-chief to have a mugshot following charges in Georgia related to his allegedly trying to change the 2020 election results (Trump pleaded not guilty). In what became an instantly viral photo, the former president was seen full-on glaring at the camera in the shot. Trump seemingly came in with a calculated plan for his mugshot. 

The choice not to smile, meanwhile, was inspired, at least in part, by his lawyer, Alina Habba. Or at least that's how she tells it. Habba offered some insight into what she instructed Trump to do before he walked in for his big closeup during a conversation with Benny Johnson on his podcast, "The Benny Show." Trump's lawyer obviously couldn't divulge everything they talked about, presumably due to attorney-client privilege, but Habba confirmed that they did specifically discuss whether or not he should smile. And she warned him not to.

Alina Habba clarified to Benny Johnson that Donald Trump having to take a mugshot was "a sad moment in history, and there's nothing funny about it," (via Meidas Touch). Thus, if her boss was pictured smiling, it might have appeared as though he was making light of the situation. Habba then hinted that it may have been (or she hoped that it was) her stance that influenced Trump's final choice of facial expression, sharing, "I voiced my opinion, he doesn't always listen to me, but I'd like to think I put a little seed in his ear." Whether Habba suggested the scowl that he ended up doing for the shot, we're not 100% sure. But of his expression, she surmised, "He looks how he felt [about the charges]."

Former Trump staffer John Bolton, on the other hand, opined during an appearance on CNN (via X, formerly known as Twitter) that it was "carefully staged," asserting, "He looks like a thug. And I think it's intended to be a sign of intimidation against the prosecutors and judges." Whatever the reason, it paid off handsomely. The former president quickly capitalized on his viral mugshot moment with supporters able to buy shirts, mugs, and plenty of other merchandise featuring his photo and the somewhat contradictory phrase: "Never surrender." 

Trump's campaign raised an impressive $4.18 million the day after the mugshot was revealed alone, according to Politico. The mugshot was also Trump's first post on X since he was banned in the aftermath of the January 6 attacks (Elon Musk reinstated him in November 2022). The post currently has a whopping 1.8 million likes. 

Whether or not Donald Trump would even get a mugshot was a hot topic of discussion before his eventual arrest at the Fulton County Jail in Georgia. In an April 2023 interview on CNN, following Trump's initial indictment, Alina Habba made it clear what she thought: "Mugshots are for people so that you recognize who they are. He is the most recognized face in the world, let alone the country, right now, so there's no need for that, no need for the theatrics." Trump's lawyer later thanked Fani Willis, the prosecutor who brought the case against him, for the boost Trump's campaign got from the pic.

A previously relatively unknown attorney, Habba has now represented Trump in some major civil cases, including his defamation case brought by E. Jean Carroll and his fraud case brought by the New York Attorney General (both of which Trump lost). She's also shown up at his hush money criminal trial, not as his lawyer on the case, but seemingly to help field questions from reporters outside the courtroom. While some of Trump's former lawyers aren't fans of Habba, he seems to like her, so we're guessing she'll stick around for a while — Trump does have potentially three more criminal trials coming up.