Donald Trump has surrendered on racketeering charges at a Georgia jail on Thursday, setting the stage for a fourth criminal trial next year as he campaigns to recapture the White House.
The 77-year-old former president has been detained at Atlanta’s notorious Fulton County Jail, accused of conspiring with 18 co-defendants to try to overturn the 2020 election result in the key southern state.
The booking of the billionaire real estate tycoon, which may feature a mug shot for the first time, comes just hours after he spurned a primary debate featuring eight of his rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Trump may have been absent from the stage of the televised debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but he still stole the spotlight and was the focus of questions posed to the candidates seeking to be the Republican standard-bearer next year.
Asked if they would support Trump as the party’s nominee even if he were convicted in one of the four criminal cases he is facing, every candidate raised their hand except former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie.—INP
