The Power of Trump’s Mugshot: A Powerful Branding Tool and Fundraising Success

T-shirts, mugs, stickers – all with the mug shot of the grim-looking 77-year-old and the slogan “Never surrender”. After all, the right-wing populist wants to move back into the White House after the 2024 presidential election.

The photo of the ex-president accused of interfering with the election fits perfectly into his narrative of a “witch hunt” against him. The fundraising emails immediately sent out by the Trump team luridly stated: “This mugshot will forever go down in history as a symbol of America’s resistance to tyranny” – including the request for supporters to donate $47 ($43.50). euros) for a t-shirt with the picture.

Trump photo could become “extremely powerful” branding tool

The photo has already paid off in terms of donations, Trump’s presidential campaign confirmed to Fox News on Saturday. $20 million has been raised over the past three weeks. Since the police photo, it has been $7.1 million, $4.18 million on Friday alone – the most successful day of the entire campaign.

The photo could become an “extremely powerful” branding tool for Trump, says New York marketing guru Daniel Binns. “As a marketer, that’s his genius – that he can turn anything that’s said or thrown at him, or whatever image is created, into something that represents the story he wants to tell,” says the managing director of the marketing consultancy Interbrand North America by the AFP news agency.

Binns even likens it to the “Hope” poster from Democrat Barack Obama’s successful 2008 presidential campaign. “It couldn’t be more different in terms of what it represents, but that was equally iconic imagery,” says Binns.

Heir to millions Trump marketed his name long before his political career

The millionaire heir Trump marketed his name long before he went into politics. His name was emblazoned in large, mostly golden letters on skyscrapers, hotels, golf courses and ice rinks.

In doing so, he served the image of the successful real estate mogul and reality TV star, says Binns. The marketing of his police photo will certainly help Trump in the short term. The mixture of anger and defiance is “a kind of political trademark – but the Trump brand does not stand for it”.

Either way, the photo of Trump wearing his usual dark blue suit, white shirt and red tie and scowling at the camera is now arguably the most famous mug shot crook, as a verb mug and rob) of a celebrity. He also denied his return to the online network X (formerly Twitter) after a long ban with this photo and the slogans “Never give up” and “Election interference”.