Donald Trump is set to make history on Thursday as the first former US president to have his mugshot taken when he appears at an Atlanta jail to face criminal charges of trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat in Georgia – even as the local district attorney proposed starting the trial in less than two months.

Hours before his expected evening jail appearance, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in a court filing called for a trial date of 23 October, an accelerated timeline for a sprawling case that includes 18 defendants alongside Trump. Willis previously had proposed a 4 March start.

Trump will surrender at 7.30pm US time on Thursday, he announced in a post on his Truth Social platform.

All the defendants in the case brought by Willis have been handing themselves over this week ahead of a 25 August deadline to turn themselves in or face arrest, including Giuliani and former Trump campaign attorney Sidney Powell, an architect of the conspiracy theory claiming the 2020 election was rigged. While it will be the fourth time this year that Trump’s been processed as a criminal defendant, he hasn’t had to report to a detention facility for processing until now.

Trump’s latest criminal booking will be another milestone for the former president as he seeks to return to the White House in the 2024 election. He’s already facing a similar federal election case in Washington and unrelated criminal charges in New York and Florida. 

In his post, Trump again claimed falsely that his defeat in 2020 was the result of a “RIGGED” election, saying the evidence is “IRREFUTABLE”. Neither Trump nor any of his allies could produce evidence of widespread voter fraud in dozens of lawsuits that challenged the result of the election.

Willis charged the group on 14 August, alleging they violated Georgia’s racketeering law by organising a “criminal enterprise” to keep Trump in office after he lost the election to Joe Biden. The DA has said that all the defendants in the case will be arraigned starting as soon as 5 September in Atlanta, setting the stage for a series of remarkable court appearances.

The voluntary surrender by Trump is in contrast to his former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, who asked a judge for an emergency order blocking his arrest if he fails to turn himself in while he fights to move the case to federal court. A judge denied that request on Wednesday night.

Trump (77) has already entered uncharted territory as the first former US president to face criminal charges, though the four cases filed against him have not slowed his momentum as the frontrunner in the race for the Republican nomination to run against President Joe Biden, a Democrat, in next year’s election.

Now the businessman-turned-politician, who for years hosted a reality TV show, is due to join the ranks of gangster Al Capone, crooner Frank Sinatra and other high-profile Americans who have posed for jailhouse photographs.

The image is certain to be circulated widely by Trump’s foes and supporters alike.

“We want to put it on a T-shirt. It will go worldwide. It will be a more popular image than the Mona Lisa,” said Laura Loomer (30), a Republican former congressional candidate, who mingled with other Trump supporters outside the jail on Thursday morning.

One of the most recognisable people in the world, Trump has not had to submit to a photo in the other three cases he is facing. But fake mugshots have circulated online since shortly after he was first indicted in Manhattan in March on charges involving hush money paid to a porn star ahead of the 2016 election.

Some of his co-defendants have already been booked. Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor, was stone-faced in his mugshot while lawyer Jenna Ellis smiled. All 19 defendants must surrender by Friday.

Trump in the Georgia case faces 13 felony counts including racketeering, which is typically used to target organised crime, for pressuring state officials to reverse his election loss and setting up an illegitimate slate of electors to undermine the formal congressional certification of Biden’s victory.

The proposal by Willis for an October trial start is a revision that reflects a court filing the day earlier by one of the defendants – Kenneth Chesebro – demanding a speedy trial. Trump’s team is expected to push for a later date, but has not yet made a proposal in court filings.

Trump, due to enter a plea in the Georgia case on 5 September, has pleaded not guilty in the other three other cases. He has denied wrongdoing and has called all the cases politically motivated.

Four criminal charges

In addition to the New York state charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Trump faces two sets of federal charges brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith – one case in Washington, DC, involving election interference and one in Miami involving classified documents he retained after leaving office in 2021.

He faces 91 criminal counts in total.

Trump has agreed to post bail of $200,000 and accepted bail conditions that would bar him from threatening witnesses or his 18 co-defendants in the Georgia case. Trump on Wednesday added Atlanta criminal defence attorney Steve Sadow to his legal team, a court filing showed.

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered that the airspace over the jail be closed beginning around 6.45pm local time (10.45pm GMT), citing “VIP movement”. The jail has a reputation for grim conditions that have inspired rap songs and prompted an investigation by the US Justice Department.

Republicans who control the House of Representatives said on Thursday they would investigate whether Willis improperly coordinated with federal prosecutors. They previously launched an investigation of Bragg, who accused them of a “campaign of intimidation”.

About a dozen Trump supporters, some holding flags, gathered outside the jail awaiting his arrival.

“I’m here because I’m appalled at what’s happening,” said Bob Kunst (81), a retiree, who said he had driven from Miami Beach. He stood outside the jailhouse with a homemade sign that read “Lock Biden Up”.

Trump’s planned jailhouse visit comes a day after his rivals in the race for the Republican presidential nomination met in Milwaukee for their initial debate. Trump skipped that event, instead sitting for a pre-taped interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

“I’ve been indicted four times – all trivial nonsense,” Trump said.

Trump’s lead in opinion polls in the Republican race has widened since his first indictment, but political analysts have said his legal woes could alienate independent voters he would need to win a rematch with Biden. DM