CNN host, reporter panic that Fulton County DA may actually have helped Trump's campaign: 'Do we really need to do this?'

 CNN host Kaitlan Collins and correspondent Sara Murray explained Thursday how Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis may have helped Donald Trump's campaign.

As Trump arrived at the Fulton County jail for processing shortly after 7:30 p.m., Collins highlighted the fact that Trump knows how to exploit moments meant to damage him for his benefit.  

"Trump himself has been not downplaying this. I mean, he has certainly seen how he uses these exact moments to his political advantage," Collins noted.

Murray agreed and openly questioned the "value" of snapping Trump's mug shot and releasing it to the public.

"He does use these. I mean, he uses these for fundraising. He uses these to rally his base," she said. "I mean, that's one of the questions about the sort of value of a mug shot in this case, right? Sure, it's treating Donald Trump, if he does get one, the same as any other defendant. But you are also giving him a photo that there is no doubt that he is going to use on promotional material, he's going to use on fundraising material." 

In Trump's three other criminal cases — one brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) and two by special counsel Jack Smith — Trump's mug shot was not taken. He is, after all, one of the most well-known political figures in the world and one whom the Secret Service is statutorily obligated to protect. 

That Trump is one of the most recognizable people on the planet raises an important question: Is the mug shot necessary?

"Do we really need to do this, when we're talking about a former president of the United States?" Murray pondered. "We know what he looks like."

Trump, in fact, is already using his mug shot to fundraise for his campaign — and it will undoubtedly be monetarily effective.

Not long after Trump's processing at the Fulton County jail, he used his first return post to X (formally Twitter) to release his mug shot in a simple, yet highly effective campaign advertisement.

The link included in the post directed supporters to a fundraising landing page specifically designed to capitalize on his arrest. And yes, that page prominently features the mug shot.