Donald Trump says he will be arrested on Friday morning (AEDT) when he is expected to have his mugshot taken for the first time after escaping the humiliation on previous surrenders.
Mr Trump posted to his Truth Social platform that it was “arrest time” and he would be going to Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Georgia, at 7.30pm local time (9.30am AEDT).
He is due to face charges in that state stemming from his effort to overturn his 2020 election loss — the fourth criminal case to hit the former president.
Mr Trump is expected to be fingerprinted and photographed – a mug shot that is certain to be widely circulated by backers and detractors alike as he campaigns to win back the White House in a November 2024 election.
Many of Mr Trump’s 18 co-defendants, including lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Kenneth Chesebro, have already surrendered and had their mugshots taken.
The Georgia facility has a reputation for grim conditions that have inspired rap songs and prompted an investigation by the US Justice Department.
In Georgia, Mr Trump is accused of pressuring state officials and setting up a slate of illegitimate electors to reverse his 2020 defeat.
He has denied wrongdoing and attacked the case as politically motivated. He will not enter a plea at this appearance.
In a disjointed social media post on Friday morning, Mr Trump indicated he was on his way to Atlanta.
Mr Trump has agreed to post a $US200,000 ($308,000) bond and accepted bail conditions that would bar him from threatening witnesses or his 18 co-defendants in the case.
It was unclear how many supporters would show up in the sweltering heat to support him.
Mr Trump called for nationwide protests after his first criminal indictment in New York in March, prompting fears of violent unrest along the lines of the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
Authorities have reported no violent incidents outside the courthouses in Manhattan, Miami and Washington where he has been arraigned this year.
Mr Trump’s brief jailhouse visit comes a day after his rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination met in Milwaukee for their initial debate.
Mr 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,” he said.
Mr Trump’s lead in opinion polls has widened since his first indictment, and his supporters say they believe the charges are politically motivated.
But analysts say Mr Trump’s legal woes could alienate the independent voters he would need to win in a general election matchup with incumbent Joe Biden, who defeated him by seven million votes in 2020.
Mr Trump, the first former US president to be charged with crimes, faces 91 separate criminal counts overall.
He has been charged in Washington, D.C., over his efforts to overturn the election, in Florida over his handling of classified documents upon leaving office, and in New York over a hush money payment to a porn star.
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