Donald Trump’s team discussed how they wanted the 45th president to appear in his mugshot taken at the Fulton County jail on Thursday night.

According to sources who spoke to CNN, Trump made the decision that he wanted to appear “defiant” in the photo and purposefully avoided grinning.

“The former president watched cable news coverage of both his surrender and the debate on the plane ride to Atlanta, and he is continuing to watch cable news coverage on his trip back, two advisers told CNN. Trump also had a number of aides traveling with him: Susie Wiles, Walt Nauta, Jason Miller, Steven Cheung, Brian Jack, and Boris Epshteyn among others,” CNN reported.

CNN’s Jake Tapper kicked off the segment by saying: “Everyone, hang on. I want to bring in CNN’s Alayna Treene, who traveled, with Donald Trump’s motorcade, to the Fulton County Jail, and has some new reporting, on his mug shot. Alayna, what can you tell us?”

Treene responded:

Right, well, Jake, the former President’s team had actually discussed, what they wanted that mug shot, to look like, prior to him going to the Fulton County Jail, and taking it. And the former President himself ultimately decided that he wanted to look, quote, “Defiant.” That is something that his advisers have told me. And he chose purposefully not to smile.

Now, of course, you can tell that the former President and his team are taking a lot of attention to this mug shot. They’re sharing it. The former President just rejoined Twitter, also recently rebranded as X, to share that mug shot. And, I think, you can expect them, to fundraise off of it, as they have fundraised off of fake mug shot, in the past.

And so, from my conversations, with them, also on the ground, here, in Atlanta, they were happy with how that looked. Of course, that is what they are telling us. There’s always a different picture, behind-the-scenes. I also know that Donald Trump, despite wanting to appear defiant, today, has been frustrated, about this process, was frustrated that he had to come, to Georgia, and go through another process, like this, yet again.

Now, some other reporting I have, Jake, is that Donald Trump, on the plane ride, to Atlanta, was watching a lot of those news shows, a lot of news coverage

Treene added: “And again, with that mug shot, his team seems happy with it. I’m still getting texts, from his aides, who are currently on the plane with him. There’s a reason that he is sharing this, repeatedly, on social media, and rejoined Twitter, in order to share that photo. And so, I think you’re going to continue to see them try to monetize, off of this, and get as much media attention, as they can, from that mugshot, Jake.”

Trump turned himself in and was arrested by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office on charges related to the indictment brought by District Attorney Fani Willis. A Fulton County grand jury returned a 98-page, 41-count indictment against him and 18 other people last week.

Trump revealed that Georgia officials “insisted” he have a mugshot taken Thursday night during processing at the Fulton County Jail.

Trump, the current 2024 Republican front-runner, told Fox News in an interview that doing so was “not a comfortable feeling—especially when you’ve done nothing wrong.”

Trump turned himself in Thursday night at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Georgia, after being charged in District Attorney Fani Willis’ investigation into his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state, Fox News reported.

Trump told FOX that officials in Georgia “insisted” on a mugshot.

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“They insisted on a mugshot and I agreed to do that,” he said. “This is the only time I’ve ever taken a mugshot. It is not a comfortable feeling — especially when you’ve done nothing wrong.”

“This is all about election interference,” Trump said. “It all comes through Washington and the DOJ and Crooked Joe Biden — nothing like this has ever happened in our country before.”

Trump said the United States is “doing horribly, but now, it is doing worse because we have become a Third World country.”

Trump’s bail was set at $200,000 and he was quickly processed and released Thursday evening.

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His formal arraignment, where he will likely plead not guilty, is expected to take place in early September.

Trump was charged with one count of violating the Georgia RICO Act as well as six counts of criminal conspiracy, three counts of criminal solicitation, one count of filing false documents, and two counts of making false statements.

Trump sent out a dire statement to supporters amid his historic booking at Georgia’s “notoriously violent” Fulton County Jail, where his historic mugshot was taken.