According to former White House press secretary Jen Psaki, Donald Trump may be riding a wave of enthusiasm as his rabid followers embrace his look of defiance on his Georgia mugshot, but that same angry image will likely play a major part in hurting him should he be the 2024 GOP presidential nominee.
Early Saturday morning Guardian correspondent Hugo Lowell reported that the former president demanded his lawyers attempt to get him out of having to get his picture taken when he was booked in Atlanta on racketeering charges, but to no avail. He also noted a decision was then made to try and cash in on it.
However, as Psaki explained, that boost to his campaign could be short-lived with the now-infamous photo later being used to dissuade independent voters from supporting the now four-time indicted Trump.
According to the current MSNBC host, Trump "...thinks this is a political winner for him," but one GOP lawmaker claimed it will come back to haunt him instead.
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"As New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) told me in an interview that airs Sunday, 'independents hate it," she wrote before adding, "The fact remains that Trump is going to need to expand his voting base to win a general election. Yes, Trump has turned politics on its head. But it’s very unlikely independents and moderates in the suburbs of Milwaukee, Phoenix or Detroit are going to become more likely to vote for Trump because he has was booked in the Fulton County Jail."
The photo she added will give the Democrats a powerful tool to use to scoop up voters who are on the fence.
"This photo will be shared on every text thread in America. Sometimes, images are more persuasive than anything. And it is hard to imagine that this image, of Trump scowling into the police camera, will make him more appealing to anyone who is not already a hardcore supporter, " she predicted.
