If a picture is worth 1,000 words, how much does that infamous mugshot of Donald Trump rate?  Taking advantage of what Trump believed an opportunity, he posted the photo to the social media platform X after its release.

The numbers back Trump up.  According to politico.com, within the first 24 hours, The Donald's 2024 presidential movement raised $4.18 million, making it the single-highest 24-hour funding period of his campaign to date.

Booking photos of scandalous celebrities, the nefarious, and the reprehensible are nothing new, but this was of a former president of the United States.  Nothing like this has ever occurred in American history.

Such an event was unnecessary.  Who wasn't aware that Trump was under indictment in four jurisdictions that a typical mug shot was a necessity?  Pulitzer Prize–winning photographer David Hume Kennerly, who has photographed ten presidents, said the Trump photo will be "the most published photograph ever."

Ever since Trump announced his presidential campaign from the escalator of the Trump Tower in Manhattan in 2015, he has been a nonstop moving target for Democrats, their allies throughout the media, and the unelected bureaucratic swamp that is the Deep State personified.  Baseless allegations and name-calling were just part of the daily activities as that echo chamber refused to stop ringing.

Both Trump impeachments were counterfeit and served as a blatant diversion of the Deep State's machinations that continues to chug along at full bore.  Considering the nonstop freight train that continues to pummel Trump over the last eight years, the Queens, New York native is still standing and is more cognizant than Joe Biden was 30 years ago.

The photo reminded me of a Parris Island dress blue photo shoot, where only your war face would suffice.  Any semblance of a smile or even a smirk would earn the wrath of the nearest drill instructor.  Trump's pose would not have disappointed, as it was a "you're fired" scowl straight out of The Apprentice.

Booking photos are usually an exercise in humility.  Trump made it into an opportunity to showcase his campaign's grit and determination.  The image is now emblazoned on t-shirts, coffee mugs, even shot glasses, and since mugshots are copyright-free, expect more of the same.

Photographs are much more than their pixels.  They hold much of their mystery in perception — a moment forever frozen in time.  Trump is a living meme and more than willing to fight, no matter the odds.  The mug shot is a rallying point for his base.  Moreover, the photo is a significant portrayal of how American politics continues to unravel at blinding speed.  Those pixels of Trump have cemented themselves alongside iconic photos like the Iwo Jima flag raising and the flight at Kitty Hawk, securing a unique place in American history.

However, this is not a celebratory photo, no matter what political affiliation you identify with.  Since the advent of the FBI's Most Wanted List, what criminal ever faced so many indictments in different jurisdictions nationwide simultaneously?

Other than those whose eyes fall here, how many folks do you know that truly recognize what this situation represents?  Conservatives understand that their Judeo-Christian culture is under attack and that they are the primary target, with the former president providing cover.

If a parent speaks out at a school board meeting, he is a domestic terrorist.  If a pro-lifer prays while hindering access to an abortion facility, expect an early-morning raid from the FBI.  Declare that only women can get pregnant, and be prepared for a garden variety of backlash.

Meanwhile, the Bidens, Clintons, Barack Obama, and every swamp-dweller gets off scot-free.

Keep electing Democrats, and expect more of the same.  The choice is elementary: either you are for this White House administration that is Obama's de facto third term, or you are not.

The cases against Trump are all scheduled to be heard during the middle of primary season.  If anything, it will showcase the Democrats' duplicity and most of all their hypocrisy.  When will the reality that the nation is drifting toward tyranny -- cast the mote out of the leftist's eye?

The left got its prized Trump mug shot.

The question remains: will it backfire?

Maresca is a longtime columnist and New York City native who is a Marine Corps veteran living in Flyover, Pennsylvania.