Donald Trump is set to become the first president, sitting or former, be arraigned on federal criminal charges when he faces a judge in Florida Tuesday.
The federal charges allege Trump hoarded top secret government documents, boastfully displayed them to visitors and tried to hide them from investigators who demanded them back.
Trump approached his Miami court date with characteristic bravado, insisting as he has done through years of legal woes that he has done nothing wrong and was being persecuted for political purposes. But the gravity of the moment is unmistakable as he answers to 37 felony counts that accuse him of willfully retaining classified records that prosecutors say could have jeopardized national security if exposed.
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The case is laden with political implications for Trump, who currently holds the dominant spot in the early days of the 2024 Republican presidential primary. But it also poses profound legal consequences given the prospect of a years-long prison sentence.
The arraignment, though largely procedural in nature, is the latest in an unprecedented public reckoning this year for Trump, who faces charges in New York arising from hush money payments during his 2016 presidential campaign. There are also ongoing investigations in Washington, D.C. and Atlanta into efforts to undo the results of the 2020 race.
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So will Trump be fingerprinted and have a mugshot taken during his arraignment? It's a bit of a mixed bag.
Officials plan to upload a pre-existing photo of Trump for their internal booking system, a federal official told NBC News. But the source clarified that they are not taking a "mugshot." The public will not have access to the internal booking system where the photo will be kept, a source said.
As for being fingerprinted, Trump will have his hand scanned digitally — there is no ink involved, according to NBC News. He will also have to give over personal data like his telephone, address, and social security number.
Did Trump get a mugshot taken during his previous arraignment in NYC?
Back in April, Trump was criminally processed and fingerprinted in connection with his first unprecedented indictment out of Manhattan Criminal Court.
Speculation in that case came down to the wire as to whether the 76-year-old would pose for a mugshot after he surrendered at the Manhattan district attorney's office. Upon entering the courthouse, Trump was fingerprinted and shown the indictment before he walked into the courtroom with his attorneys for the scheduled arraignment.
No mugshot was taken after his arrest.
Trump was previously indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on dozens of charges of falsifying business records for his alleged role in hush money payments to two women as his 2016 presidential campaign wrapped up.
The former president flew to the city Monday afternoon and stayed at Trump Tower overnight before heading to the courthouse Tuesday morning. He will be taken to a room on the 15th floor -- with no handcuffs or stop in a holding cell.
The arraignment was brief and Trump then immediately flew back to Florida.
AP reporters Eric Tucker and Alanna Durkin Richer contributed to this report.
